Wanting
by Noseless Wonder
Summary: Chapter Three - A sequel to Waiting. Trunks and Pan are married and must deal with the 'happily ever after' part. But what happens when the only example of a perfect marriage they have begins to fall apart?
1. Prologue

Wanting: Prologue 

I am alive!

Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, Dragon Ball GT or any of its characters. This disclaimer applies to the whole story because I am lazy and low on Dr. Pepper and it doesn't help that all the words on the screen are starting to blend together.

Author's Note: Okay, I did NOT plan on posting this so early. I was hoping to get another full chapter ready to go before even getting it on the net. But… when I feel like writing, I try to take advantage of it and I managed to get a lot more done than I thought I would. I hope you enjoy it. There will be lots of T&P, but I'm going to tell you now, the main story is going to follow Gohan and Videl. I can't help it! They're my favorite!

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Impatient fingers drummed softly on the table in front of him. His smirk stubbornly suppressed, he glared over at the offender… the woman across the table. She smiled brightly, adding more than a touch of innocence to her already angelic look. He sipped his coffee, attempting so fruitlessly to drown out the noise her long nails were making against the polished wood of their kitchen table. His eyebrow smugly cocked, he flipped through his paper diligently, self-satisfied with his acting job. Her fingernails were getting on every nerve in his body, and he knew she knew it did… but he wasn't about to give her satisfaction of knowing how well her ploy was working. 

She seethed inwardly, watching his sorry attempt at appearing more interested in the paper he was reading than in the noise she was making. He had no right to cut their honeymoon a week short… especially since they were having so much fun. She could hardly believe it when he actually, _willingly_ called into work to check up on things. She didn't think she'd ever get over the fact that he, without any hesitation at all, packed up everything and checked out early, dragging her along with him so he could fix a little problem with the company's network. It seemed that the seeds of hard work ethic that Bulma had spent so much time planting in her son's head had finally grown… into a full-blown harvest. Pan resolved to spend the next few days devising a plan on how to reverse everything her new mother-in-law had done. 

She sighed, shifted her head to rest in one hand, while the other picked up the slack and continued drumming consistently. It was ironic, she mused. She had known her husband her entire life, but she learned more about him in the last two weeks than she had expected. In fact, when they weren't getting to know each other in the physical sense, they were talking. They didn't just speak about every day things. Never once was the topic of work or training involved, as it had been so common in times past. Instead, to her surprise, he opened up about his past, about his feelings. Some of this made her uncomfortable… mostly because she could tell how hesitant he was about revealing some of these things to her. 

His father was mentioned frequently. He spoke of when he was a boy and Vegeta had sacrificed his life to attempt to save the world. Of course, he had lost that particular battle. He had rapidly released his ki, flooding the area like a violent explosion. True, Majin Buu was torn in pieces, but in the end, it left Vegeta's body completely void of ki… an empty, fragile, lifeless shell… whereas Buu was able to resurrect himself. Vegeta had actually _hugged_ Trunks. True, it was a part of a scheme to catch Trunks off guard in order to knock him out so the boy wouldn't follow him into a suicide mission, but Trunks never really thought that it ended there. Vegeta thought he was dying… permanently. He didn't need to catch Trunks off guard just to knock him out. Even as a Super Saiyan, at age seven, it would have been easy. Pan was amazed with the thought of Vegeta showing any sort of affection toward his son… let alone actually instigating it.

He talked about his family a lot, joking about how Pan really didn't have a clue what she was marrying into, despite how familiar his family was to her. She learned things about his mother and sister that she never would have known just from hanging around every so often. She was very surprised to hear about Bulma's miscarriage, which she had only a year before Bra was born. She never would have guessed that Bra was a recovering smoker. Even when the two girls hung out, the older Saiyan never mentioned cigarettes. Apparently, she only started to impress a guy… and once her mother caught her, she quit. Despite the fact that Bulma was an occasional smoker herself, she wasn't about to watch her daughter fall into similar habits. After all, lung cancer had killed her father Dr. Briefs, which was another revelation Trunks had shared with her during the weeks they had all alone together. 

One of the big surprises involved his work. Not only had he volunteered to shorten his vacation so his mother would have some help getting the network back on line, but he had also spent a great deal of their "free" time finishing paper work and calling in, despite Pan's protests. Apparently, sometime between Pan's three-year excursion and her time-travel trip, he concluded that he needed to be more responsible. This meant no more out-the-window escapes… and false sick days. He confessed, with a blush, that it was the hope of settling down with her that convinced him. Despite all of this new information about her new beau, the most noticeable… and the most useful bit was the fact that the sound of long fingernails tapping on a hard surface drove him insane. 

Pan grinned unwillingly, catching Trunks' eye. "What are you smiling about?" He asked snidely. 

"Oh, nothing." She replied innocently, increasing her drumming. 

He smiled back, cringing as every drum sent a new wave of annoyance down his spine. He took one final sip of his coffee and stood up, folding the newspaper under his arm to read later. Pan frowned and followed him into the living room. 

"Where do you think you're going?" She asked sharply. 

"To work. You know… to earn all the money I'm going to need to pay off this mansion I built you." 

Pan twisted her lips. "Yeah, rub it in." 

Trunks yelped in surprise as she jumped on his back, wrapping her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck. He laughed, unable to shake the clingy woman off him. 

"I'm not letting you go so easily." Her throaty voice whispered in his ear. 

"Believe me, Panny…" He argued, backing up to the couch and sitting down, forcing her down with him. "I'd like nothing more than to stay home with you for one more day…"

"Then why don't you?" She asked huskily, climbing from behind his back to in front of him and making herself comfortable on his lap.  

Trunks chuckled, taking a long look at the vivacious, sensual woman who was his mate. He was torn in half with this one… Should he stay at home with… her and face the wrath of his mother? On the other hand, should he go to work like a good little CEO and face the wrath of his wife? "I'm sorry." He answered flatly.

Pan let out a disappointed huff and stuck out her lower lip. "I guess I should probably get used to this…"

"No, Pan… please don't give me the guilt. I'm going to try to find a decent balance between home and work, but while I try to figure it out, I need to fulfill my responsibility."

Pan frowned. "Who are you and what have you done with my husband?" She asked sternly.  
  


He laughed… which was not the reaction she was expecting from him. "I'm sorry… Look at it this way… you'll have the entire house to yourself. After three weeks of having my hands all over you, I bet you can't wait to get rid of me for a few hours." 

"Maybe," she admitted, playing with his tie, "but I'll be bored to death." 

"I don't think you'll be bored… not with all those boxes to unpack. How did you manage to fit all this stuff in your room at your parent's house anyway?"  

She smiled coyly, lifting a delicate eyebrow playfully. "Well, you see, there are these little inventions… They can store big things in tiny spaces. They're called capsules. Perhaps you've heard of them."

"Hmm… sounds familiar." He chuckled, kissing her on the chin. 

"Yep. You'd be impressed… especially with the company's current President." 

"Really?" He asked, feigning surprise as he dropped his head down to kiss her gently on the neck.

"He's a chronic over-worker. In fact, he'd probably cut his own honeymoon short just to get back to the office and mess around with his high-tech toys."

"Hmm… sounds like a loser to me." He commented, running his lips across her collarbone and shoulder. 

"He's not a loser. He's weak from years of aging in a stuffy office and not training, but he's not a loser. In fact, he's one of the sexiest men I know. Man, I'd like to get him in the sack."

"Should I be jealous?" He asked, nibbling at her ear. 

"Probably. I was planning to fix him a romantic dinner tonight after he gets off work… followed shortly by a bubble bath for two."

Trunks pulled away for a moment and looked her in the eyes, gingerly pulling the hair away from her face and behind her ears. She was so perfect… "That sounds nice."

"I thought it might." She said, pulling his head to hers and kissing him passionately. Trunks responded accordingly, half of his brain concentrating on the woman in his lap and half of him trying to think of a plausible excuse to miss work he could give to his mother. 

Pan smiled against his lips, satisfied in part with the reaction he was giving her. Slowly, she worked her hands down his clothed chest and stomach, down to his pocket. Carefully, she reached inside, hoping he wouldn't catch on. She felt the cold metal ring of his key chain and pulled, yanking them out of his pocket. 

"Hey!" He shouted, grabbing after his office and car keys desperately as she dodged his every move. With her all too familiar evil smirk she had developed over the years, she took off from his lap and ran up the stairs, laughing the entire way. Trunks followed closely behind, but not too close. After all, what fun was the chase if it ended too quickly?

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"Gohan, I just don't understand why you're being so uptight!" Videl spoke loudly, slamming the car door shut.

Gohan got out of the passenger's side, shutting the door a little too hard himself, but nearly ripping it off its hinges to begin with. "I'm not being uptight!" He responded with equal volume. "I'm just saying, it wouldn't hurt to save a little money once and a while."

"Gohan, I know business is a little slow, but that doesn't make us starving for money or something." Videl argued a little more calmly as she opened the trunk of their car, pulling out several paper grocery sacks. "I mean, even if we were to go completely broke… we still have my dad and…"

"Videl, I told you…!" 

"Gohan! Calm down." Videl snapped, feeling hid energy spike with the mention of her father and the implications of living off his earnings. "All that I was saying was that if it ever came down to it, we wouldn't have to worry. I know that you don't want to borrow the money from him that he's only earning because of taking credit for something you did anyway… and I wasn't saying that we had to."

"I'm sorry, Videl. I guess I'm just a little scared about the practice. I don't want to make any layoffs, but if I don't find a partner or some patients soon, I'm going to have to make some changes." He explained, picking up the remaining bags and stacking them in his arms. "I don't want to borrow from your father. If we're out on the street starving and our bank has repossessed the shirts off our backs, then maybe… _maybe_ I'll consider it. Until then, we should just start making some cutbacks. Not buying our daughter _and_ multi-billionaire son in-law groceries every week would be a good start."

Videl smiled, appreciating Gohan's ability to control his temper. "Well, they should be able to handle the shopping from now on. If Trunks can't afford toilet paper and cereal, Pan has no business living with him anyway. Besides, think of this as an excuse to check in with them without looking nosey."    

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Pan shrieked as she literally flew down the stairs. Trunks was right behind, diving after her as he nearly tumbled down the stairs. An almost evil laugh escaped her throat as she looked up at him. His keys clutched tightly in her hand, which was behind her back, she used her other hand to seductively beckon him forward. 

He smirked, his eyes locked on to her. Slowly, he crept towards her… step by step, like a cat stalking his prey. She giggled despite herself. 

"Why are you looking at me like that?" She asked, putting on the most innocent mask she could muster. 

"You have something I want." He said simply, his voice deep and accusing.

"Oh really? Could you be looking for these?" She asked, dangling the keys in front of his face.

His expression was surprised. She was giving in a little easily. He was somewhat disappointed as he reached for them. This wasn't like Panny…

"You don't know me at all, do you?" She asked, laughing as she shoved the keys down her bra.  

His eyes flew open and his jaw dropped. He was never going to get them back now. She smiled and winked suggestively. Pan was definitely proud of herself as she slowly walked back to the stairs, intending on him following her, adding a slight sway in her hips that wasn't there before. She gasped as she felt his arms wrap around her waist and pull her backward.   

She struggled, attempting fruitlessly to pull herself free from his vice-like grip on her. He tickled her ribs lightly, even though he knew well that she wouldn't give in only to a little challenge. He had to try something different.

"You don't know me very well either, Panny." He said quietly in her ear.

Something in his voice made her shudder. "What are _you_ talking about?" She asked, still attempting to pry his arm from around her. 

"Well, see… now that we're married, I'm not exactly afraid of diving in after them this time." He whispered.

Pan paused to ponder what he was talking about. It didn't last for long as she shrieked, feeling a _very_ cold hand sneaking past her neckline and into the front of her shirt, searching for what she was hiding in there.  

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

"I think they're home." Gohan said, surprised, as his wife dug through her purse for her spare key to her daughter's house.

"They're probably just getting ready for the day or something. Pan knew we were coming over." She said, turning the key in the lock. 

"Yeah, but shouldn't you…" Gohan stopped dead in his tracks as the door opened. He nearly dropped all ten of the bags he was carrying when he saw what they had walked in on. 

"Pan? Trunks?" Videl asked, containing her laughter.

Both of their jaws completely dropped to the ground. "Umm… hi Mom." Pan choked out, Trunks' left hand still tucked down her shirt while his right arm remained wrapped around her waist. "Hi Dad."

Trunks looked terror stricken. "Umm… hi Gohan, Videl. We were just… I was just… trying to get ready for work."

Videl cracked a smile and chuckled. "Well… it's a good thing we weren't late, right Gohan?" She joked, starting toward the kitchen to give the kids time to straighten up. "We might have walked in on something a little less… clothed."

Gohan's lips curled downward as he followed his wife to the back of the house with their groceries. He didn't hesitate to give Trunks a sideways glance as he passed by, making the younger Saiyan sweat under the collar a little. He smiled back, trying to pretend like he wasn't doing anything out of the ordinary. 

Once they were out of sight, Pan exhaled, being embarrassed beyond belief. Her parents were still having a little trouble with the thought of Trunks and her doing… married things… She was sure this wasn't going to help them adjust at all. "Trunks?"

"Yeah?" He asked, looking behind him just to make sure Gohan was out of attacking range. 

"You can take your hand out of my shirt now."  
  


"Right." He obliged, tugging at his hand. "Panny… my watch is stuck."

She sighed in frustration and lifted her shirt to attempt to get the screw on his watch untangled from the loose stringlets on her bra. 

"Pan, where do you… Oh, are you _still_ playing?" Videl asked, peeking back in from the kitchen. "You just can't keep your hands off her, can you Trunks?"

Trunks' whole face turned bright red. "No… I mean yes… umm… I got to get to work." He said, finally tearing the small threads off her bra and pulling himself and his keys free. 

"Hey!" She protested.

"Oh, I'll see you tonight." He walked back to her, kissing her on the cheek then grabbing his briefcase and literally flying out the door. 

Pan smoothed her shirt and huffed as she made her way to the kitchen where her parents were still putting her groceries away in their places.

"So, I guess I don't need to ask how things are going." Videl teased.

"Mom… please don't start." Pan replied, blushing furiously. "What are you doing here anyway?"

"We just thought we'd bring over some supplies. You haven't been home in two weeks and we didn't know if you'd be able to get out to shop so we just picked up some basics for you and Trunks."

Gohan raised one of his eyebrows. "There was no 'we' about it. Your mom wanted to check up on you." He laughed.

His wife shot him a dirty glare. "Gohan…" She started. "You're the one who wanted to…"

"That's okay Mom." She interrupted. "Grandma Chichi probably did the same thing to you too."

Videl opened her mouth to argue. 

"Every day for a year." Gohan cut in. 

"Yeah…" Videl mumbled darkly as she started preparing to cook something. "Go ahead and gang up on me… but at least I'm not the one still whining about you sleeping with Trunks." She stated, pointing a wooden spoon directly at her husband.

"Mom?"

"Pan?"

"I can cook, you know." Pan stated flatly.

"I know… but I thought I'd cook you a _good_ breakfast, since you're probably tired from your trip." 

Pan rolled her eyes behind her mother's back. Father's eyes met daughter's and they both knew they were thinking the same thing. It was a common belief that, given enough time, a woman would eventually begin exhibiting her mother's mannerisms and looks. Videl, however, didn't have a mother… at least, not one that she knew well. The only strong female role-models Videl ever had was the occasional girlfriend her dad brought home and… Chichi. 

Gohan gulped nervously at the thought.   

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

"So how was the beach?" She asked her daughter, who was working on the bowl full of rice her mother had put in front of her. 

"Umm… it was nice. The sun was… out most of the time and there were lots of… shells." She answered ineptly. They had been talking for the last thirty minutes about her honeymoon, and she _really_ didn't want to go into too much detail.

"Did you get to ski very much in the mountains?" Gohan asked.

"No, we didn't really get out of the room much." She blushed, realizing how that must have sounded. "I mean… we were snowed in and… well… we just… couldn't fly, so… So how's Jr. doing in preschool?" 

"Good!" Gohan answered enthusiastically, thankful for the change in conversation. "Really good. In fact, his teachers say he's one of the brightest they've seen."

"Really? They can tell that kind of stuff in preschool?"

Gohan nodded, taking another bite of his breakfast. "We even signed him up with a special tutor next year so he can start learning at a higher level."

Videl's head popped up. She wasn't aware of any tutor. "Gohan, it's only preschool… We can't put too much pressure on him too early."

Pan sighed; obviously, they hadn't talked about this. 

"Videl, only so many kids are accepted by this guy, if we could…"

Videl twisted her lips, interrupting. "That's _definitely_ an 'extra'." 

Pan sighed again. She hated when her parents talked in code, especially when she was in right in between them. It reminded her of when she was little and they thought she didn't know what they were talking about when they spelled out, P-a-n and b-a-t-h in the same sentence. 

"It's his _education_." 

"You sound like your mother." She threw in rebuttal.

"If I were my mother, I wouldn't even have discussed it with you."

"You didn't. You signed him up before even mentioning it to me."

"I talked to you about this before."

"When?" 

"Last week when you were in bed."

"Oh, was I _asleep_ at the time?"

Pan's head turned back and forth repeatedly. Her parents often argued with a strange gentleness that oddly resembled a game of ping-pong. Normal people yelled and cried, but not her mother and father. It was the one family trait that Chichi hadn't managed to pass down. They argued as if they were scared to death their voices could destroy the world. Well… okay, maybe it _was_ better that her dad had impeccable control over his temper after all.  

"No, you were mumbling something about cheese and freckles."

Videl sweat-dropped. "Do I talk about cheese and freckles during the _day_ when I _am_ awake?"

"You might as well be talking about cheese and freckles _now_ for all the logic you're using." 

_"Logic_? You want to talk about _logic_? We… can't… afford… a tutor… Gohan." She said plainly.

Pan's eyes grew wide. The words "can't afford" coming from her parents? What happened to all the money from the tournaments? And Grandpa Satan? And Gohan's insanely successful practice? They were supposed to be well off. They should be able to afford specialty tutors for every subject Jr. would need.

Gohan leaned back in his chair… wishing that they could have saved this particular conversation for later when they were alone. It was his belief a child should never have to worry about their parents until they were old enough to die. Now, Pan was looking at them like Gohan had lost his arm and Videl had grown a second head. 

"It's not that we can't afford it." Gohan reasoned with his wife, though it was more directed at Pan. "We just won't have as many luxuries as we did before."

Videl scoffed. Not wanting to press the issue any further, she allowed him the last word… for the time being. Gohan crossed his arms, pursing his lips together in awkward silence. Pan looked horrified. Dende, she hated it when her parents argued. Even though they never got as angry as most couples who argued after thirty years of marriage, and they always ended up making up in the end, it was never a pretty sight for Pan. 

"Umm… Dad?" Pan said, breaking the deafening silence that had suddenly fallen on the breakfast table. Gohan looked up, giving a small, but almost grateful smile. "If… you need a few extra bucks…"

"Yeah?" He encouraged, though not liking where she was going.

"…There's another martial arts tournament coming up in about six months."

Gohan's interest perked. Although he hated fighting people who couldn't even come close to his strength, it _would_ be an easy win… unfair, but easy. The money would be more than enough to pay for a tutor until he found a partner for his practice. 

"Hmm… Well, I haven't fought since we trained Goten. I'm probably a little rusty."

"No problem, I'll help you train!" Pan volunteered enthusiastically, jumping up from her seat. "We can start tomorrow. I…"  
  


"Hold on Pan…" Gohan said, laughing louder than he had laughed in a long time. "We have stuff to do tomorrow, remember?" 

"Huh?" Videl asked.

"Oh yeah… Mom, Ms. Bulma sort of volunteered all of us for her annual 'Top of List Corporate Baseball Tournament.' Spring training starts tomorrow."

"What?!" Videl exclaimed. "I'm almost fifty years old, I can't play baseball. What do you expect me to do, play short stop?"

"Well, Bulma's playing and she's older than you are. Besides, she was thinking more like catcher, since you know more about baseball than anyone else on the team does. Plus, you wouldn't have to move much."

Videl eyed her daughter suspiciously. "I thought that tournament was for corporate executives only."

"It… is… sort of." She answered timidly. "But it's also open to their immediate families. We're kind of… _extending_ the rules a bit."

"Oh… so you and Trunks aren't the _only_ ones profiting from marriage, huh?" 

Pan smiled and blushed. "Think of this as a fun thing to do as a family. Grandpa, Goten, Trunks, Bulma, Bra, Marron, Dad and I are all going to be on the team. You could be our ninth." She argued, a slight adolescent whine to her voice.

"Who's pitching?"  
  


"Bra."

"Hmm… Well, I'm pretty out of shape." She argued.

"Don't worry, the baseball tournament's not for another six months… It's one week after the martial arts tournament." 

"Okay, I'm in." Videl replied reluctantly. "But _only_ if we play fair enough to actually let the other teams score a little. I don't want to see our family photos posted all over the front of 'Fortune 500 Weekly' just because your father decided to fly up and catch a home run in mid air."

Gohan smiled sheepishly. 

"Yes!" Pan cheered. She talked her mother into playing baseball and her father into training again. This was going to be a fun summer.     

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Yeah, yeah… I know… but it's only another dreaded 'first chapter'. Does anyone here remember me? Hello? Hi? Okay, so I'm a forgotten name now. That's what I get for slacking off after "Waiting". *sigh*


	2. Chapter One

Disclaimer: See Prologue

Author's note: Thanks a ton! You guys are awesome. I was hoping someone around here remembered me… It's been sooooo long.

"Watching" is coming along too. However, I'm not very satisfied with it… Therefore, I'm looking for a beta reader. I'm hoping I can find someone who knows how to write a good fic themselves and/or has been around the Dragon Ball fic scene long enough to know the DB storyline. I need someone who knows how to correct spelling, grammar, yadda yadda… but I _really _need someone who I can run ideas and rough drafts by and receive an **honest opinion** back… _constructive_ criticism and everything. You'll get sneak peaks… that's about all I can offer for repayment… but I'll link your site on mine or even host your fics if you want. Email me at smile83775@aol.com if you want to go for it. As you know, my updates are few and far between… this is kinda why I need someone who is also going to be able to hang around on the net for a while… this isn't just a summer job. One more thing… I'll need the chapters back in a timely manner. I know I'm picky… but my two T&P betas have gone on sabbatical from the internet and I'm getting a little needy… okay _desperate_ may be the better term for it.  

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The night sky seemed alive with light and almost musical choreography as the stars twinkled randomly and out of sync. The night's summer breeze blew in from the window, carrying with it a welcomed chill. The warm scent of freshly cut grass and dew filled his senses, driving him to recall over fifty summers before this one. There was just something about these summer nights that made him feel like he was nine years old again. It was almost as if he expected Icarus the Dragon to come flying up to his window and beckon him on a midnight secret flight over the hills. His mother, even to this day, would kill him if she ever found out about those escapes through the window… but he wouldn't trade them for anything. They were the only times he could really run out by himself without having to wonder… a time where he could take off and think. 

It had been a turbulent time in his life. The androids were coming. The then unknown boy from the future had revealed that he would lose everyone he cared about to the hands of the deadly twins… and that he would have to carry the future on his shoulders for thirteen more years, only to meet the same fate. His father was suddenly back in his life and training with him and his mentor every day. Truth was, it was the happiest time in his childhood. He had both father figures in his life… teaching him, training him and preparing him for a possible hellish future where he would be earth's only hope until Trunks was grown. 

He sighed, standing at his open window with his arms crossed. Goku, his son, would be that age soon. It seemed like only yesterday that he was watching his father turn Super Saiyan for the first time, fueled by the rage of his friend's brutal and painful death. He was only six then. That wasn't so long ago… was it?

HHhEH He wasn't ready for middle age. He wasn't ready to see the day when his daughter was old enough to have children of her own. He most assuredly wasn't ready to walk her down the aisle. Funny, the prioritization of those fears _should_ have been reversed. He scoffed quietly at himself, looking over at the sleeping figure in the bed next to him. There were days when he didn't even think he was ready for a family of his own… yet it had been more than thirty years since he had married his wife and started one.

Gohan shivered as another chill spread from his head, down his spine to his feet. It was too cold to stay up half naked and contemplate life, he decided as he crawled back into bed and next to his spouse. 

He didn't know why he was feeling this way. He didn't know why simply watching his kids grow up would make him so anxious and nervous. He didn't know why he was still losing sleep over his daughter's recent marriage. It had been announced almost a year before, after all.

The answer was right in front of his face. Gingerly, he swept a streak of gray hair behind Videl's ear. He was gentle and light of touch so that she wouldn't wake or stir. Videl had two gray streaks in her hair… one on either side of her face. They were beautiful, distinguished and elegant looking, especially when she swept her hair up into that twist thing she always did… but they were gray. They were simply dead roots with hairs attached that refused to fall out.

At times, he thought he was beginning to look silver up top himself, but Videl always insisted that it was just the light. What scared him the most was that she was probably right. At nearly seventy, his father still looked thirty. As a demi Saiyan himself, he wasn't going to age any time soon… but Videl would. 

He knew his gift worked both ways. It was both a blessing and a curse. The Saiyan blood moving through his veins would make it possible for him to live for well more than a century. He would be able to see five or so generations born after him, but he would inevitably have to watch the one person he loved the most die... It was something that he had always dreaded… all the way back to the day when he saw her nearly beaten to death by Spopovich at the World's Martial Arts Tournament. It was something that made him want to scream, even from just the mere thought of holding her hand in her last moments.   

Some people say that living without their wives or husbands would be like trying to live without their right arms. They could do it. It would be difficult and painful, but they could do it. For him, living without Videl would be like living without a heart. He might survive for a few seconds, but it would be a miserable existence, followed by an early death. It would vacuum the life right out of him to know that she would never sleep by his side again. Her death would be his end, even if his body refused to shut down.   

He silently wondered if the others were so distraught over something far into the distant future. He frowned bitterly. It wasn't so far into the future for his mother… or Ms. Bulma. His father, he thought with a singe of pain, wouldn't even blink an eye. He had died several times. Loosing Chichi may only prove convenient for the time he would eventually die for good. Chichi would prefer it like that… especially once she got older. At least his mother wouldn't have to worry about him any more. His life would probably just go back to the way it was before marriage… catching fish in the river out back, bathing in the same river and training. He would just have to learn how to do his own laundry and he would be set. 

Vegeta was a different story all together. Forty years ago, Gohan doubted Vegeta would even flinch if Bulma died. Now, he honestly didn't know. Obviously, they had a relationship more than what it appeared to be on the outside. Some how, Bulma had managed to tame one of the most ruthless murderers in the galaxy… and turned him into a househusband. 

Gohan was almost sure that Vegeta was planning to die in some glorious battle long before she ever got old anyway. Vegeta had always mentioned dying in a way honorable of a Saiyan Prince. He was convinced that it was the whole reason behind the suicide attack on Majin Buu so many years ago. It was a way to atone to the world; to the people he had killed in the ring only hours before, to his son and wife… and at the same time, to be remembered by _somebody_ for having died for something bigger than he was… for being a hero. 

He had thought about talking to Goten about it many times. He felt more comfortable bringing up a question like that to his younger brother than his clueless father or the man who had tried to kill him on numerous occasions. However, he didn't want to make him think about something so grim, especially since he and Marron had only been married for a few years. Goten had tried so hard getting a relationship started with her. The last thing he wanted to do was spoil their days together with unnecessary concern. They had enough to worry about, anyway. Starting a family and a new business was stressful enough.

Trunks and Pan were out of the question. They had their problem solved… they were both Saiyan. Pan might age a little faster, but she was younger than Trunks. If she _were_ to age more rapidly, it would only even them out. Besides, Gohan had enough trouble thinking about his _wife_ leaving him through death. He didn't even want to think about his kids doing the same. 

He traced her jaw line with his fingers. He would just slip himself into a comfortable state of denial. That always seemed to work for his mother. Just pretend as if it wasn't really happening… like it wouldn't happen. Contemplating one's own mortality versus the mortality of his loved ones was tiring… as well as meaningless. It wasn't like it was something he could control or simply change. If the dragon balls were still intact, he would think about it… but they had traded that freedom in… 

Videl stirred and sighed, opening her eyes to face him. "Why are you awake?" She asked, surprised to see him alert and sitting up. 

"I just couldn't settle down enough to sleep." He answered, slightly startled as he silently admired the way she looked under the moonlight shining down from the window. 

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing… I just… I was just thinking about today. At Pan's."

Videl laughed softly. "Gohan. I know this is hard for you to accept, but his hand was down her shirt. What's the big deal? You're going to have to get over it. Married couples have sex. In fact, they're probably doing it right…"

"Videl…" Gohan interrupted before she could go any further. "Thank you for putting that image into my head, but that's not what I was talking about."  
  


"Oh…" She started, opening her drowsy eyes a little more to read his expression. "Then what?"

He delayed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "I'm sorry."

Videl suspected more to his revelation, wondering what was so horrible that her suit-and-tie husband was awake after two o'clock at night. The last time he was awake so late was when he was working on his dissertation... during their honeymoon. "Gohan… I have no idea what you're talking about… and I'm really too tired to try to figure it out. Please… just tell me what's really wrong."

"I didn't mean to get angry today."

Videl nearly laughed, rolling over so that her back was to him. "Gohan. We've had maybe four arguments in our lives. I don't think one more is that big of a deal."

"I know, but… I don't like fighting with you." He admitted, lying down from his sitting position and wrapping his arm around her. He scooted closer under the covers… relishing the feeling of her body and warmth pressed entirely against his. "I don't even know where it came from."

 She took a deep breath, more than willing to remind him about the lack of logic and creative argument he had used earlier that day. "I mentioned buying a whirlpool for the master bathroom and you said that we should be saving more money for Jr.'s education, not buying groceries for wealthy CEO's and going swimming in our bathroom. Then I said that my dad would be more than happy to pay for his education. Then _you_ interrupted me and told me that he would get scholarships for college and we didn't _need_ to borrow anything, which was a contradiction to what you had just said two seconds before that. And then I asked you why you were being so uptight and you…"

Gohan put his hand up to her mouth and covered it, lightly turning her head to look at him. He chuckled lightly. "Thanks for the reminder." He said sarcastically, removing his hand.

"Gohan… I know that business is tight, but I really don't know why you are getting so nervous. You have all that money saved for college and retirement; I have my Dad's inheritance that he's more than willing to let me tap into it. He'll give you anything you want for letting him take the credit for Cell. Plus, business may be a little slow, but you still rake in a lot of money every year. I just don't understand what you're so afraid of. I think you're being too uptight... even for you." 

"I… I don't know what's wrong." 

Videl looked at him, concerned about what was really going on in that mind of his. "Gohan…"

He laughed, lighting his features up once more and washing relief over his wife. "I guess it's just like the old saying goes: 'No matter how much you have, you always want more'. I just want to make sure we have enough."

"Enough for what?"

"I don't know. Enough to take care of my parents. Dad's appetite alone costs thousands a month even when they _do_ catch their own fish and grow vegetables."

"That's true… but Goten is helping with that too. Now that he has his own successful business, he should be able to take half of their expenses."

"But I also want to make sure Pan's okay." Videl opened her mouth to immediately argue with him, but he stopped her. "I know that Trunks is rich. Trust me, my mother hasn't let me forget since she found out they were together, but companies tend to fail sometimes… and CEO's can be fired too."

Videl looked at him questioningly, knowing there was still more to what he was saying. "And?"

"…and I want to make sure you and Goku would be okay… if anything were to happen to me."

"Why would you say that?" She asked. Her voice was barely above a whisper. 

"I don't know that either. I just have a foreboding feeling. I feel like at any moment this perfect peace is going to be interrupted. These years of calm… they almost seem too good to be true."  
  


"Gohan…"

"I know it's silly, Videl. I just… I want to be sure. I want to know that if a new enemy came and I died in battle that you wouldn't have to worry about Goku's schooling or about food. I know you have your father's inheritance and I know that we have a lot of money in savings, but I just want to be sure." Gohan stopped there, hoping he wouldn't have to explain any more to her… That he wouldn't have to explain this feeling of panic that was working his way closer and closer to his consciousness from his sub consciousness every day.      

Chills ran up her spine. He looked and sounded so convinced that there was something terribly wrong that she didn't have a clue about. She trusted her husband's judgment about everything. At first, she had just assumed that the money issue was just that… a money issue. Obviously, there was something he was far more afraid of then just falling behind on a few bills. "Umm… Okay." She started nervously; trying to digest everything he had just told her. "But I still want a whirlpool."

He laughed, hugging her close to him once more. "We can get a whirlpool. I want you to be happy with me, not mad at me. Besides, at least you'd be nice and relaxed."

"Hmm… Well… I could get a job." She suggested suddenly. 

As he looked down at her curiously, Gohan suspected she had been thinking about this for a while. "I thought you liked staying home."

"I do…" She started. "But… I can get a part time position somewhere. I'd be home when Goku went to school and by the time he got back. I would still have time to cook dinner, and I'd be making money on the side. With the what I made, we could pay for vacations and whirlpools… all the extra stuff… at least until business picks up at the office." 

"Yeah, but you'd have to drive so far just to get into town and back every day. Are you sure you'd want to do all that just to get a paycheck?"

"Umm, Gohan… To tell you the truth," She started. "I'm getting a little bored around here. Your mother and father are driving me crazy and Jr.'s getting so big he really doesn't need me to be here all day. Besides, I could look at the police station. Yoshi is the Commissioner now. I'm sure he'd be willing to give 'The Great Saiyaman 2' a job pushing files or something."

He chuckled. "Satan City's greatest defender doing paper work?"

"Well, I don't think I can fight off five guys with guns like I used to. I might break a hip or something."

"Well, I say it's worth a try if I get to see you in that spandex thing again." He agreed, though secretly reluctant. Part of him hoped she would simply forget her little idea after a few days.

Videl laughed and held his hand in hers as they both finally calmed down enough for sleep. They had reached a solution to both of their problems, _and_ she finally had an inkling about what had been bugging Gohan so badly recently. It scared her, what he had said… but she wasn't going to dwell on it. For the moment, she was happy… and her family was happy. Peace was something you cherished while you had it in her world. If you spent all your time worrying about the 'what-ifs', then you never truly had peace to begin with. 

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

Time nearly stood still for her as she stared at him, smiling brightly, though with a hint of menace. He was lying on his back; his head tilted backward and his mouth wide open as he softly snored. Pan thought it was adorably funny. There was a little piece of information she had learned on their honeymoon that would serve her quite well on this particular morning.

It seemed her husband had unique sleeping habits, if you could call it that. Every night during the week, he slept very lightly, almost to the point where he woke up every time she had to get up for one reason or another. However, Friday night into Saturday morning and Saturday night into Sunday morning, he slept like a log. He snored, he drooled, he tossed and moaned… he slept like her grandfather did, though he _always_ kept it confined to the weekends. It was as if his mind was giving his body permission to sleep harder and longer because he didn't have to get up as early. 

True, she had seen him sleep long before they ever shared a bed. On their tour through space, there was only one room where they could fit all of their sleeping mats. Not wanting to sleep next to her grandfather with all the noise he was making, she opted to sleep closer to Trunks. Of course, having a bad case of puppy love back then, she had watched him from time to time while he slept. Being in the same bed with him was a lot different from just watching him across the room.

She remembered the times they would sleep next to each other while she was in the wilderness training. She wasn't sure why, but she got the impression he didn't sleep very well at all in those days. Despite heavy physical training throughout the day that left her exhausted, he always ended waking up several times at night.

On this specific morning, he seemed to be enjoying his sleep a little more than usual. She had tried waking him up the civil way. His alarm clock had gone off three times already, earning little more than a disapproving grunt from him. She turned it off, hating the shrill, offensive sound. She tried opening the blinds so the sun was directly in his eyes. She loved waking up like that… but apparently, he didn't. All he did was scoot over a little so that he was back in the shade. She had tried nudging, calling, tapping, even hitting and he barely responded… usually with nothing more than a grunt or a drowsy complaint. Now, however, it was time for aggressive action. 

She carefully straddled his stomach, being cautious not to let the hem of her nightshirt tickle him to awareness. Leaning slowly forward, she allowed herself to stretch along the length of his bare chest and neck while being careful not to touch him. She bit her lip, lightly brushing his lavender mane out of his face so she could get a clear shot. The sound of ice clinking against glass echoed off the walls of their huge master bedroom. She cringed, hoping her clumsy mistake would not alert him. 

He didn't stir.

She smirked evilly. She really hated to do this to him. Well, not really, but she might regret retaliation. Nevertheless, it had to be done. They had to be ready to go in an hour and he wasn't making her job any easier on her. Her mother warned her that being a wife sometimes required her to be a babysitter too… but she never imagined it would come to _this_. With an agonizing slowness, she lifted the glass up to his chin and tipped it. Cold water and ice poured onto his face, neck and chest. 

Immediately, his eyes popped open. Out of reflex, he thrashed and flipped over, sending both of them towards the ground. Pan landed on the bottom, Trunks merely inches above her as cold water soaked him. He was taking deep breaths, his eyes wide as if he still hadn't registered what had happened. 

"Why…?" He asked, his voice coming out strained, as if he were holding back tears.

Pan bit her lip nervously before letting out the loudest laugh he had heard come from her in a long time. It was almost… maniacal. "I'm sorry honey." She claimed, though her tone of voice made him think differently. He wasn't fooled by her false apology. "I tried to wake you up, but you wouldn't budge."

"It's Saturday!" He argued with an immature whine in his voice that only renewed her laughter. "I only get two days to sleep in! Let me have my weekend!"

"Poor baby." She said sarcastically, sticking out her lower lip for emphasis. 

"Paaan…" He whined, lying his head down on her shoulder and collapsing his body on top of hers. "I want to go to sleep."

"Not on me, you don't. Besides, we have to leave in an hour."

Trunks scoffed. "For what?"

"Trunks! Bulma's been reminding us all week! I can't believe you forgot." 

"Forgot what?"

"Baseball practice!" She argued, wanting to slap him over the head. 

"Baseball…? What…? We don't play for half a year. It's only August!" He continued, his head still on her shoulder, his body still crushing her to the floor. "It's too cold to be outside today anyway... Especially so early."

"Take it up with your mother." She stated firmly, rolling them over so that she was on top. "I'm going to go take a shower, why don't you go make us some breakfast?"

He mumbled in vague agreement as she stood up and made her way to the bathroom. Part of him became intrigued and tempted as he noticed his dress shirt that she had just been wearing as a nightshirt suddenly strung out across the floor, left behind like a second skin. He loved it when she wore his shirts and nothing else. Dende, she looked so much better in them than he did… and after all, he _did_ need to take a shower anyway. Consider it… a water conservation effort that they would take one together. Trunks was always doing his best for the environment, especially when 'his best' led to sex in one way or another.  

Then again, the sun beating in from the window felt really good on his now freezing body as he lie there… and while there was plenty of time for showers and love making, there were only ten more minutes before she would yell at him again for going back to sleep. Now having firmly made up his mind, he grabbed the blanket off their bed and wrapped himself tightly inside as he shut his eyes once again. Only ten more precious minutes of sleep… just ten.

"Trunks! Get your lazy butt up and make us breakfast!" His wife screeched from the bathroom over the sound of running water. 

Trunks tore his eyes open and groaned. The woman knew everything, didn't she? She was already turning into his mother. 

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

He smiled, checking his reflection in the mirror of his yellow sports car before getting out. He was dressed in sweats, his cane at his side as he walked, the crisper air of the late summer morning filling his lungs. He couldn't believe it when she called him. She hadn't _called_ him in years. She needed his help… and when she needed his help enough to call him down from his desert home, he came, no matter how strange the request was. 

This time, it had to do with baseball. Sure, her request was a little odd, but he still wouldn't deny her. He was a little old to play the game, despite it having been his major source of income well into his fifties. He played and coached for the Titans for nearly thirty-five years before retiring. He was in his seventies now. He couldn't believe it himself. Though being a ki fighter had kept him looking and feeling younger than he was over the years, he still looked like the crotchety old man he had expected to become in his later life. His hair was completely gray. It was long and pulled back into a ponytail. He thought it made him look more distinguished with a defined set of crow's feet he had under his eyes. Still, he looked good… and there was no doubt about it, she did too. 

As she walked up to him, it confirmed his suspicions. She was beautiful. Apparently, age had been kind to her. Being married and bedding a ki fighter encouraged physical youth as well. Instantly, he felt that old pain… the ping of jealousy and regret that only diminished to a dull ache as time progressed. He still loved her. 

"Yamucha!" She yelled gleefully as she closed the distance between them and hugged him tightly. Instantly, he felt new life flowing through his old joints… as if he was ready to challenge the androids, Nappa… or Vegeta… again at her mere command. 

"How are you doing Bulma?" He asked. It was never a superficial question when it came to her. He still felt protective of his ex… and if he thought she wasn't completely satisfied and happy for even a mere moment in her life, he would gladly snatch her away from whatever was causing her pain. 

"I'm good, Yamucha. How are you?" She looked into his brown eyes… the same eyes that had stolen her heart and then broken it so many years ago. 

"A little too old for my liking, but good." He said with a slight chuckle.

"How's Yani and Puar?"

"Puar's good. She had to stay behind and keep an eye on Oolong. I think the old pervert's habits are beginning to catch up with him. He's been sick recently. I finally convinced him to cut out the stogies and the booze."

"Oh, Goku will be so sad to hear that." She said. Her smile diminished. "What about Yani?"

Yamucha took in a deep breath, his eyes glazing over as he slipped into a memory long passed. "She's gone."

Bulma frowned and hugged him again. This was his second wife to die on him… and she was sure it didn't get any easier. "I'm so sorry, Yamucha. I never would have asked you to come if I would have…"

"No, don't apologize, Bulma. I'm glad to be here, but I can't imagine why you would need the help of an old kook like me. With Yani gone and Oolong sick… and with Puar and I getting too old for comfort, I'm glad to get out of that house for a while. I'm anxious to see the kids. It'll be nice to see what 'young' looks like again." He smiled and walked on with her, wanting to change the subject. He had been surrounded by old age too much lately and it was beginning to wear on his spirit and his body at the same time. "So… why did you need me, anyway? I can't exactly run the bases with a bad hip."

Bulma laughed lightly, still feeling guilty about calling him all the way into the city despite what was going on in his life. She felt selfish for not hanging on the phone long enough to hear the whole story. "Well, this is the first year we've really had the chance to win the Executive's Tournament. Now that Trunks has married Pan, the Son's qualify as 'family' and we can use them too. I really want to beat Willpower Tech this year. They've gotten away with too many of our victories. Just because they have younger board members than we do…" Her eyes pleaded with him… and suddenly he felt like he was sixteen again. 

"Ah… so what you're saying is that you want to win and see your competitors left behind in your dust by using your unusually gifted alien family as unfair leverage?" 

"Yes." She answered bluntly.

He laughed. "Well, okay then, but that still doesn't explain why you need me. I'm not family, so I can't play… not that I could even if I was, but…"

"I need you to coach. We need serious help, Yamucha, I'm not kidding." She said, looking around at the field in front of her. 

"But they're so strong and the can fly. Plus, Gohan, Videl, Trunks and Pan all have baseball experience. You shouldn't need…"

"That's the problem. They're _too_ strong. I know we could beat them, easily, but I want it to look a little normal. We don't need any more bad attention."

Yamucha chuckled again. Looking out at the familiar family spread out on the field. "Well, let's see what kind of team we have to start with…"

Trunks and Pan were huddled together. Pan was swinging the bat around while Trunks had his arms around her 'helping her with her swing'. Yamucha knew that Pan had experience with baseball thanks to high school gym courses. He wasn't sure if Trunks was showing off, or just doing that obsessive, clingy honeymoon mushiness that newly weds were so despised for. Either way, Yamucha was beginning to wish they would get a room. 

"Trunks, I know how to handle a bat." He heard her say from across the field.

"I know you do, I'm just helping you correct your stance." He said into her ear, pressing against her back and tightening his grip around her a little more. 

"Uh huh…" She said, unconvinced by his words. "Well, you _do_ have more experience handling long, stiff objects than I do."

Goten laughed loudly as Trunks blushed like a tomato at her loud 'friendly jab'. "Very funny Pan. I don't think the people in the next city heard you. Maybe you can be a little louder next time." 

Goten stood over by home plate swinging a bat around, paying more attention to Trunks and Pan than to what he was doing. He wasn't really _doing_ anything, Yamucha noted. He was just sloppily swinging it back and forth. The scary part was, he could probably kill someone swinging it around like that. 

Bra was actually on the pitcher's mound… buffing her nails. She was going to be disappointed if she thought she could pitch and keep those things perfect. No one was going to see them under a glove anyway. Girls… go figure… he was amused with the fact that he used to be so scared of them… no, _petrified_ of them. Things change…

Gohan and Videl, the two most experienced players on the team were on the sidelines having what looked like an involved discussion, while their son was eating a large lunch next to them. This was the first time Yamucha had seen Goku Jr…. though he looked exactly like Gohan did at that age. It was ironic… when Gohan _was_ that age, Yamucha was dead… and the young boy was one a distant planet fighting for his life and the lives of Tien, Choatzu and Piccolo. 

Suddenly, a familiar, grinning face popped in front of him… nearly giving him a heart attack in the process. "Yamucha!" Goku shouted, though he was less than two feet in front of him. 

"Hi Goku." He greeted, happy to see him, though envious. The man was only four years his younger… though he looked like there was a forty year difference between the two. Another irony… the only man Yamucha knew who wasn't afraid to die would be the one who would live the longest. 

"Are you going to play with us?" He asked curiously.

"No," he answered, not sure if Goku seriously thought he could play limping with a cane or not, "but Bulma said you guys could use some help, so I thought I'd come by and see what I could do."

"Oh, great! The only thing I know about bas-ed ball is how to swing the stick!" Goku laughed and thought he'd display his knowledge by swinging the bat as an example. Yamucha sweat dropped. 

"Umm… Goku… traditionally, most players use _two_ hands to swing… and, well, traditionally, the bat is held from the other end."

"Oh…" He said in realization. "That explains a lot. I kept wondering why it was slipping out of my hand."

Yamucha chuckled as he put his hand on Goku's shoulder and walked towards home plate. This _would_ be a bit of a challenge for him… but it would be fun. Bulma watched as the two walked away from her. He looked so old… and he wasn't exactly going through good times at the moment. Thinking about age gave Bulma a sour taste in her mouth… but it wasn't something she could avoid. It seemed like yesterday they had met… It seemed like yesterday that she had caught him on a date with another woman. That one ill-fated date had itself been wholly responsible for her life turning out the way it did. There was no doubting she was on the rebound then… but when it came down to it, even if Yamucha hadn't been a playboy, she _still_ made the right choice. 

There hadn't been a day in a long time where she hadn't thought about it either. She loved Yamucha. Even to that day, she loved him… but Vegeta was for her. Forty years later, she still had no clue as to what exactly happened that made her fall for a man like Vegeta… but she was glad she did. Yamucha may have been her first love, but Vegeta was her true love. She laughed bitterly at that thought. If she were ever to say something like that to the Prince's face he would blush, scowl, then walk away… angry that she would have said anything mushy and from the heart, especially if he thought there was any way that other people could have heard it. 

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

"Okay, first off, let's look at the line up." Yamucha said, pacing on the field as everyone else sat in the dugout. "Who's pitching?"

"I am!" Bra volunteered joyfully. 

"And who's catching?"

"That would be me," Gohan piped up

Yamucha twisted his lips in thought. "I don't think that's going to work." 

"Why not?" Bra asked, slightly offended that he wanted to take her out of the most focused, most _watched_ position in the game.

"Well, Gohan's fast and can throw well. He should be somewhere where he can run. Plus, Bra… even though you would be a strong pitcher, that might not necessarily be a good thing when mixed with Saiyan blood." He continued, "If you were to miss the catcher's mound and throw a wild, fast pitch, you could end up really hurting somebody. I think the pitching should be left to someone without Saiyan blood." 

"I'm _not_ going to throw out my shoulder again." Bulma interrupted.

"No, I was thinking Videl, actually." 

Videl looked up, her eyes wide. "Mr. Yamucha, I haven't pitched in _years_." 

"Don't worry about it… It's like riding a bike. We have plenty of time to practice." 

Videl took a deep breath and nodded in reluctant agreement. "Okay… I guess."

"Well, then what about me?" Bra asked. 

"Short stop. Just keep your eye on the ball. You won't have to throw far, but you'll have to duck down a lot more, which would be hard for some others. You're probably much more flexible than anyone here." 

Bra smiled smugly, satisfied with his answer. "I resent that, Mr. Yamucha." Pan said from the doorway, where she was leaning against the wall. "I fight. I _have_ to be more flexible than she is. I can lock my legs behind my neck, after all."

Goten coughed. "Yeah, Trunks can vouch for that." He mumbled, earning a hard slap to the back of the head by his purple haired friend and the "glare of doom" from his niece. 

"Pan, I need you to be the catcher. You and your mom can work out some signals for pitches. Just be ready to be ran into by desperate third base runners trying to get to home." 

"Uh huh…" She answered, distracted as she continued to give her Uncle the dirtiest look she could muster.

"Goten, you're on second base, Trunks you're on third. Gohan, you're going to be in left field, and Goku will be in right." He said, writing on his clipboard as he went. "Bulma, you're going to be in centerfield."

"What? You're putting me in the outfield?" She asked in surprise. "But I can't throw _or_ run."

"I know… but if Videl is as good a pitcher as she used to be, you won't have to worry about that. Just leave the running up to Gohan and Goku. Don't go for the ball unless it's coming right for you. If you do happen to catch it and there's a runner trying to make it home, throw it to Goten on second. He'll get rid of it so you won't have to throw very much."

Bulma looked unsatisfied with his placement for her. He was right, though she hated to admit it… She really was only on the team for support. After all, what could a sixty year-old human woman do in the midst of young Saiyans? 

"What about me?" Marron asked timidly from the corner. Yamucha looked surprised to see her there. 

"Oh… um…" He started, looking back over his clipboard. "Well, scratch that. Bra, you're first base. Marron, you're shortstop." 

Marron smiled. She hadn't really done anything so cooperative with the Sons since she and Goten were married. It would be fun to work with them like this… and she really couldn't wait to be on a team with her husband. They needed something enjoyable and distracting like this to keep their minds off baby pressures. 

Bulma clapped her hands happily. "I knew you could help us." She said, putting a thankful hand on his shoulder. He blushed slightly, his hand covering hers as a smile spread across his face. "Thanks."

Yamucha laughed lightly. "Don't thank me yet… all I did was rearrange your defense. We still have batting to work on… and then we've got to figure out a way to look like a normal team."

 Trunks cocked an eyebrow, noticing an old chemistry between the two. His first response was as a protective son to his mother. He didn't want to see her get hurt… but as soon as his brain kicked in, he realized the truth. Yamucha was seventy years old… his mother not far behind. They had both lived very different lives filled with family and friends… but they shared the same past. Maybe it was true, what they say. First loves never die. Trunks literally shook the thoughts out of his head. The image of his father severing Yamucha's head from his body came to mind. 

"You okay?" Pan whispered from next to him. 

"Yeah," He said, sighing. "It's just weird, you know? Right after my Mom found out she was pregnant with me, my Dad left to go train. He never gave her so much as a good bye. He didn't even seem to care that she was going to have his baby. Yamucha stayed with her occasionally, even thought they had their differences. He really helped her out. The man came within a hair of being my father… and right now, he almost seems just as close as he was back then." 

Pan didn't know how to respond to that. She didn't have any words of wisdom or reassurance for him, though she doubted he wanted to hear them anyway. She always imagined Vegeta and Bulma as such a tight-knit couple. There was no doubt in her mind they loved each other, but evidently, they had their problems starting out too. 

Trunks smiled oddly as he stood up and walked onto the field, taking his wife's hand gingerly and pulling her with him. The others followed, taking their gloves with them. Yamucha left his cane behind… determined to get through practice without it. Sure, he would be sore the next day… but it was worth it. It had been too long since he had the chance to play baseball, or see his old Z fighter teammates. He hadn't felt this young in years and he wasn't about to let a walking stick ruin it.

Gohan picked up a bag of bats and followed his old friend out to the field. "Are you going to be okay without that?"

Yamucha laughed lightly. "I'll be fine Gohan. It's just a bad hip. Besides, I'm not going to run to around the bases or anything. I just want to get some batting practice in with everyone."

"Okay, but you might want to start by helping Dad. I still don't think he knows what sport we're supposed to be playing."

"Good idea. Goku, you're up!" He shouted. Goku grinned widely as he ran over to the plate. 

Pan stepped behind her grandfather and crouched down, holding her glove out. She didn't have any gear on, but it wasn't as if one of her mom's pitches could hurt her, even if she _didn't_ catch it. Videl stepped up to the mound nervously. It was just practice, she kept telling herself. Just throw it right over the plate… nice and easy. Her father-in-law probably couldn't hit anything else anyway. 

As Yamucha instructed Goku about where to stand and how to hold the bat, Videl swung her arm around repeatedly, attempting to loosen up her old joints. She had not been expecting to pitch… and she didn't know if she wanted to. It was such a high-pressure position. Sure, it had been fine when she was in high school and popular anyway, but…

"Okay, Mom. Throw it over the plate!" Her young daughter's cheer interrupted her thoughts. 

With a deep breath and a quick adjustment of the seams to her fingers, she let it go. The ball buzzed over the field and to the plate faster than she had expected… faster than Goku had expected. With a dull thud, the small sphere landed in Pan's glove. 

"Strike one!" Yamucha shouted loud enough for the others to hear. "Goku, when the ball just sails over the base like that, you've got to take a swing. If you don't, it's a strike either way."

"But I thought if you didn't swing it was a 'ball'."

Yamucha sighed and began to explain to Goku why he should and shouldn't swing depending on where the ball was over the plate. Videl smiled. She still had it…

Goku nodded his head enthusiastically at Yamucha's words… and they tried it again. Readjusting the ball once again in her fingers, she decided on a curve. She used to have a good one. Even Gohan had trouble gauging it once and a while… She wound up and threw it. This time, the pitch looked like it was dead on, but at the last moment, curved to the outside just in time to throw off the batter.

"Strike two!" He shouted from behind. "Goku…"

"But I thought if it was far away like that then it was a 'ball'." He argued.

"Not if it's within the batter's box." Yamucha started again… hoping that sometime before the day was done Goku would be able to hit something. 

Videl smiled as Gohan threw a silent "way-to-go" across the field. This was more fun than she thought it was going to be. Pan chuckled as Goku scratched his head in confusion and Yamucha returned to his position behind the catcher. 

"Grandpa," Pan whispered. "She's going to pitch a fast one next."

"I thought they were all fast." He argued.

"No… she's changing the way she's going to throw it."

"How do you know?"

Pan rolled her eyes. "I've played with her enough before to know. She's testing herself. She'll throw everything at you until you hit something. Just aim high and inside, her fast balls are a little different than other's are… and for Dende's sake, swing!" 

Goku nodded and focused in. He resolved that if the ball were within a range where he could reach it, then he would swing. Videl bit her lip in concentration as she positioned the ball behind her back. She threw it hard, aiming it high and inside, just as Pan had said. The ball went sailing towards Goku at an incredible speed, blurring into one white streak as it neared its target. With shier determination, Goku swung. With the crack of the bat, the ball was sent the other direction… past the pitcher and third base man and into left field. It would have been a home run, had he hit it higher, but it simply bounced violently off the wall. 

Gohan hesitated to go after it at first, being unsure if they were playing an actual practice game or just practicing. Still, he began to run after it, ducking down so he could swoop it up without stopping. 

"Grandpa run!" Pan instructed. "Don't stop, just run!"

Goku scratched his head in confusion and then took off. 

"Goku, the other way! Run towards first, not third!" Yamucha yelled. 

Goku took off as fast as he could while still keeping it "normal". As he rounded first, Gohan panicked while trying to remember to keep it 'normal' and threw it too far for anyone on base to catch. Trunks had to leave his third base post to retrieve it from further infield. As Goku reached second and headed toward third, he decided the best course of action would be to throw it to Pan, since Goku was running too fast for Trunks to catch him in time while maintaining a human speed.

Pan caught the ball as Goku reached the halfway point toward home. This would usually be when most runners would give up and run into an out, knowing that the catcher would tag them… but Goku wasn't aware of this little fact. All he knew is that they had told him "don't stop, just run", so he did… straight into Pan. 

Instantly, she was blown back… through the chain-link fence that guarded home base and into a thick, cement wall. Goku stopped dead in his tracks and the others started heading in to check on her. As the dust from the debris settled and Pan came to a realization of where she was… she felt pain. Wait… she had been through a wall. _Just_ a wall. Why did it hurt?

"Pan! Panny! Are you okay?!" Goku asked, immediately kneeling to her side.

She groaned, sitting up with the help of her Grandfather. "Yeah, I'm fine." She said, though she was clutching the back of her head, which was bleeding.

"No you're not." Gohan argued. "You need to see a doctor."

She scoffed loudly, though it was interrupted by a groan of agony. "Dad, it's just a wall. It's not like I haven't been thrown into cement before."

"I know, but you haven't bled so easily before either." He said, noticing a thin streak of blood trailing down her neck.

"I'm sorry, Panny… you told me to run, so I ran." Goku said, smiling sheepishly. 

Pan rolled her eyes…wishing she felt good enough to get angry at the moment. Dende, why did it hurt so bad?

"Dr. Tetsuya is right down the road. I'll take you there." Her father once again insisted.   
  
"Dad, I don't need a doctor! Besides, _you're_ a doctor. Can't you tell me how I am?"

"Yeah… you're hurt enough to go see your doctor."

"Why can't we just give her a senzu?" Trunks asked. Finally, a voice of reason… 

 "We don't have any. Korin was supposed to grow more soon, but your father and Dad used them all up in their last spar." Gohan informed him. 

"Oh, well… I'll take her." Trunks offered.

"I don't need a doctor!" Pan yelled standing straight up to prove a recovery. Suddenly, a wave of vertigo washed over her, literally knocking her into her father's arms as her head spun and her legs gave out.

Gohan carefully picked her up and started walking. "You stay here and finish practice, Trunks. I'm sure we won't be too long anyway."  

"Oh… okay…" Trunks reluctantly agreed. How was he expected to play baseball when his wife was bleeding from the head?

Gohan took off in the sky to see their family doctor. Him and his small team were employees of Capsule Corp… and the only people besides old friends and family who knew of their heritage. Hopefully, as Trunks wondered, they would also be able to determine why she had been hurt so bad while having just been thrown through a wall. 

"She'll be fine." Goku said in his ear. "I didn't hit her that hard. She must have just been caught off guard."

Trunks looked at Gohan's figure concerned. That was just it… she wasn't off guard. She knew Goku was probably going to hit her… and Goku was right he didn't hit her that hard at all. He shook the thoughts out of his head. She was fine… she was fine…

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

Sorry for the weird ending… and the filler chapter. -_-; Unbelievably, this chapter did lead in to an important part of the story… but it's probably hard to see. It was also a lot more sexual than I had intended on writing… just with the poor attempts at humor and stuff. Someone asked me if I was going to write a lost lemon chapter to "Waiting"… I'm not, just so you know. Even if I did get the weird inspiration to someday, it would only make me a hypocrite because I don't read them and don't post other's lemons on my site. Sorry.  

I'm going to try to make "Wanting" chapters shorter so I can update more often. The next chapter should be out before too long.  

Thanks!


	3. Chapter Two

Wanting – Chapter Two

Disclaimer: See prologue. 

Note: Sorry it took so long… again. I have the next chapter all ready to go too, I just need to write up the finishing touches. I'm thinking another week until that's posted. ^_^

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

He sat impatiently in the office of their family Doctor, fruitlessly attempting to immerse himself in a medical magazine. Gohan had been waiting for her for a long time… much too long for the simple problem she was having. Dr. Tetsuya and his assistant had practically laughed when they saw Pan's head, thinking it was very unlikely that she was hurt _that_ badly. The two doctors, plus a team of about ten other trusted advisors, where the only people outside of their family that knew of the Son's and Briefs' true heritage and secrets. Bulma had paid and educated them quite well in hopes that the Saiyans would have an ethical, reliable and consistent Doctor in case they ever needed major medical attention.

Gohan checked his watch, noting that she had been in the examination room for well over forty-five minutes. He had expected her to emerge quite some time ago and found himself fighting the urge to invade her privacy and just walk into the examination room to see what was wrong. 

The paternal side of him was worried sick, a thousand possibilities of what could have made her so vulnerable were running through his head. The Scholar-Doctor side of him, however, knew that she was fine. It _was_ only a bump on the head, though twenty-six years of training and conditioning shouldn't have suddenly failed her so easily.

He drummed his fingers on the coffee table next to him, attempting in vain to engross himself in the words of the magazine and ignore the fact that the one hour mark was coming up quickly. He sighed, flipping the page as the article on foot health droned on in front of him. Once again, the fatherly side of him was loudly protesting his lack of action. It shouldn't have taken nearly an hour to treat a bump on the head that never should have happened in the first place. She was a Super Saiyan. A minor crash through a chain link fence and into a brick wall shouldn't have hurt her at all. 

After what seemed like an eternity to Gohan, the door opened. Out walked his daughter, still trying to adjust the bandages that were on the soft insides of her elbows. The Doctor and his assistant followed, comparing notes and charts diligently as they rambled on in excitement. Regrettably, Dr. Tetsuya and his assistant still enjoyed treating the Son-Briefs clan like experimental guinea pigs once and a while. Though Gohan understood their scientific curiosity being a Doctor himself, he didn't appreciate it when it involved his children… especially when they kept them so long just to investigate those curiosities. In the long run, all of those little tests they ran may have ended up doing more good than harm, but it still didn't rest right with Gohan. They did not need to draw blood to treat a bump on the head. 

"Are you okay?" He asked emphatically, looking over her arms and her head to assess the damage of their tests. 

"I'm fine, Dad. Dr. Tetsuya says it's just a scratch." 

"Just a scratch?" Gohan almost laughed. "Honey, scratches usually don't involve a major loss of blood."

Pan shrugged. "I don't know, Dad. You're the Doctor. I'm just telling you what they told _me_."

"Since when does a head wound require a blood draw?" Gohan asked, looking over her shoulder accusingly at the Doctor.

The Doctor finally looked up from his work, smiling almost warmly at the younger man. "I'm glad you're the one who brought her, Mr. Son."

Gohan looked at him skeptically, noticing that he had avoided answering his question right away. Usually, when a Doctor did that, it meant he was gearing up to give a long and detailed answer… probably more than what was needed to explain a head injury. "What's wrong with her?"

"Nothing serious, from what we can tell right now. The blood work up will hopefully give us some more answers. All that we can tell as of yet is that her blood is very, very thin. We took some more measurements, and it seems as though her muscle mass has also dropped dramatically, and we're not getting near the energy reading we got the last time she was in for a checkup. She might…"

"I'm getting weaker?!" She yelled, interrupting him. "That can't be right! Trunks and I spar every other day!"

"Like I said, we don't know exactly what's wrong, but the blood tests will give us some answers. I wouldn't be too concerned, but we will call you as soon as the results come back in a few days. Until then, I want to you stop exercising completely and try to stay off your feet. Are you on any birth control?"

"Yeah, the patch." She answered, smirking in amusement as her father coughed awkwardly. 

"Do you wear it regularly?"

"I put a new one on every week."

"Good, that should help thicken your blood a little. I don't want to give you any coagulants just yet. You don't want to have to deal with blood clots." He said, writing on a piece of paper and tearing it from his notebook. "This is a prescription for a painkiller that won't thin your blood anymore. It should help you feel better for a couple of days while your head heals. That is, unless you have any of those magical beans that cure…"

Gohan smiled politely as he took the prescription from the Doctor. Dr. Tetsuya had always wanted to get his hands on a senzu bean to see if it could be reproduced, but Korin and Dende both strictly forbade it. Man should not be meddling in the sciences of the upper realm. 

"Thank you, Doctor." Gohan said, ushering Pan out the door. 

Once they were outside, he began to read the prescription intently, double checking to make sure the Doctor had given her the right medication. Pan grabbed it out of his hands and burned it into ashes with her ki. 

"Pan…" Gohan began in a scolding voice.

"I don't need them." She interrupted. "I feel fine. In fact, I feel so good, I think I'm in the mood for some baseball."

"Pan…"  
  


"Dad… I don't want to miss this. This was supposed to be the perfect fall. I'm not going to spend it in bed."

"Pan…" He started again, more emphatically as he grabbed her shoulder and turned her to face him. "As much as I tend to disagree with Dr. Tetsuya, I think he's right. I know you like to push yourself, but you need to take it easy."

"But Dad… if I can't even play baseball, how am I supposed to train with you for the tournament?"

He twisted his lips, not really wanting to answer her question as she stared up at him with her shiny, hope-filled eyes. "Umm… well, like the Doctor said, it's probably nothing. Just rest up for a week or so until we know what's going on. Once the blood tests come back okay, I promise we'll go and train our hearts out. We could even… make a weekend out of it or something… if I can steal you away from your husband."

Pan smiled, her eyes lighting up like a child's on Christmas morning. "Really? Just a week, right?" 

"Just a week."

Pan jumped into the air and started flying towards the baseball field. She wasn't quite sure why she was so anxious to get there, but she did need to tell her husband she was okay. 

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

The game went on after Pan got back. Of course, Goku still had yet to run the right direction after hitting the ball, but he did get the hang of running slow enough for people to see him. The team departed later in the afternoon as the sun got too warm to work under. The clouds had all gone away, but the humidity still hung in the air, making it a generally muggy afternoon. 

Videl had been eyeing Gohan strangely since he had returned with Pan. As they got into their car for their return trip home, he finally got his answer as to why. 

"So…"

"So?" He asked, wondering what she was so amused about. "What's wrong?"

"How's Pan?"

Gohan laughed lightly, looking at his wife with a little concern. "She's fine." 

"That's good." She plainly answered, leaving a large, silent gap afterward.

He scoffed, not understanding what had happened so suddenly to turn her mood around. "Videl…"

"It would have been nice," Videl started, "if Trunks would have been able to find that out a little earlier than he had. He was a bit of a basket case."

Gohan bit his lip, wondering if this was an argument or not. "He could have come with us."

"He could have… or, he could have been the one to take her." 

"Honey, I just thought…"

"I know, Gohan, you were just trying to act quickly… but I think Trunks was sort of offended by the way you just kind of shooed him off."

"I didn't shoo him off." He defended. This _was_ beginning to sound a little like an argument, but he still didn't have a clue as to what it was about. 

"When he offered to take her to the Doctor's you specifically told him to stay there and play." She stated bluntly.

"I didn't…"

"I know you were just trying to look out for her, but Trunks wasn't paying any attention to anything while you were gone. He just kept on looking towards the Doctor's office, like he was trying to see what was going on all the way over there."

"Well, he…"

"He walked up to me and told me that he knew where the Doctor's office was and that he could have taken her there. He was being polite, but it was like he was trying to defend himself in an argument or something."

"That's ridiculous, Videl. He could have come any time. He should have spoken up about it." He said, taking one hand off the steering wheel to push his glasses up his on his nose.  

He was frustrated. Apparently, he had offended Trunks in some way that he couldn't see and his wife was arguing with him about it. He took his daughter to the Doctor's office, what was so wrong with that?

Videl sighed, trying to figure out a way to paint a clear picture for him. "Do you remember when we were dating and I was helping you as the Great Saiyaman Two? Dad held you responsible for every little scratch and bruise I had on my body."

"Yeah… I remember that."

"You got very offended because you thought that he thought you weren't capable of protecting me… and then I got mad at you because I thought that you didn't need to protect me, I could protect myself."

Gohan smirked. "If I remember right, you went out on your own _once_ after that without me there and ended up getting grazed by a bullet on your leg."

Videl 'hmph'ed' and crossed her arms. "Well, I didn't get _shot_, did I? So I guess I did a pretty good job. Anyway, the point is that once you and I started getting serious, you felt that it was _your_ job to take care of me, not my father's."

He twisted his lips, somewhat understanding what she was saying. "But that was different. I _could_ protect you better than him. He knew what I was back then. He knew there wasn't any way I would ever let a bullet get anywhere near you. Trunks and I are on the same page physically. Besides, it doesn't matter. I wasn't accusing Trunks of being a failure at protecting her, I was just acting on instinct."

"You should let him take care of her from now on. Trunks thinks very highly of you and he would be crushed if he ever thought you thought he wasn't capable of taking care of his wife."

"I would never think that." He said.

"Then let _him_ take care of her."

They made the rest of their trip in silence, both of them having some things to think about.

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

He smiled, coyly watching her from around the corner. She was humming something softly, her hands busy with her task. He admired her appearance. Her hair was toppled messily on top of her head and there was soap all the way up her arms. Her face was void of makeup, the glow of a full night of sleep still shining off her skin as the morning sun peeked in the window. 

Wondering if he was ever going to get out the door that morning, he worked his way over to her. He couldn't help himself. Even the way she washed the dishes was sexy. Walking up behind her, he wrapped his arms around her waist. He kissed her on the neck, slightly disappointed when she stopped humming and sighed, but pleased when she leaned back into his embrace, rubbing her damp hands over his. 

"You're going to be late again." She informed him, earning nothing more than a grunt as he nibbled her ear. "Trunks…"

"I can live with that." He said turning her around to face him. He kissed her, hugging her tightly as he lifted her onto the kitchen counter. 

"Trunks…" She laughed, attempting to tear herself away from him and his ministrations. "Later…"

"I don't think I can wait that long." He said, backing away to look her in the eyes.

She giggled, putting her arms loosely around his neck for a moment. It was ironic… before they got married, she used to hate mornings. He did too. Now, they both made sure they woke up early enough to have a little time together before going off to work. She actually loved waking up early… especially since he was always up cooking them breakfast by the time she even got downstairs. Once and a while, they even woke up early enough to get a good morning sparring session in before the sun rose. 

"Are you going to be there today?" He asked.

"Yep. Just for a while, though. Keiku said she had a little bit of work for me to do. I figured I could at least file something." 

"Maybe you could stop by my office. I'm sure I can find something for you to do in there." He said suggestively. 

She smiled, nearly laughing at what he was implying. "I wasn't aware the CEO had time for quick rendezvous in the office." 

"I'll _make_ the time." 

"Well… maybe I can find a few minutes to get away." She said, kissing him lightly on the lips. 

He moaned and kissed her harder, once again hugging her tightly to him as she struggled to push him away, laughing the entire time. "Trunks, go to work! Your mom is going to have my head if you're late again!"

He laughed as she pushed him, nearly in to the wall behind them. "Fine then! See if I make you breakfast for a while." He joked.

"You will if you want me to make your dinner." She commanded, poking him in the chest. He took her hand and kissed her palm slowly as if he was savoring its taste. 

She could only bite her lip in response. He made her feel like she was in the middle of a fairytale or something. She never knew she could feel this way. Pan couldn't believe that only a short time ago this kind of action displayed by anyone else made her nauseous. It's funny how living in this kind of moment made her viewpoint change so much. 

They had only been married for a short time… a few months. Still, she couldn't imagine her life without him right next to her. It drove her insane just to think about him leaving her for a few days on a business trip. How she had grown so dependant on someone so quickly was beyond her. She had known the man in front of her all of her life… yet no amount of time in the last 25 years could ever compare to the last few months. 

"I love you." She whispered.

"I love you too. I'll see you in a couple of hours." He said, walking away from her and grabbing his suit jacket. "Don't be late." 

Pan chuckled at his teasing tone as he walked out the door. Their door… She shook her head. She couldn't believe how immature she was acting. Like an airhead, was the first thought that came to her. No matter how hard she tried, she still couldn't get used to the fact that she had him all to herself. They were alone… together… and perfectly happy this way. She loved living with him. She loved waking up to a quick spar and some breakfast… and seeing his face light up when he smelled the dinner she had cooked. She loved sleeping next to him… and _with_ him in their house. She loved him and she loved being alone with him. It seemed she had every thing she wanted. 

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

Long black hair flowed behind her as she walked down the busy city streets. She had actually driven a car to the city. Without her typical bird's-eye-view, she had nearly gotten lost, even in the same city that she used to make daily rounds in when she was a teenager. She sighed, wondering how much everything had changed since she had last been in this part of town. Things were still clean and crime free. Her father wouldn't have it any other way, especially in the city that was his namesake.     

Still, her stomach stirred with nervousness. She was doing something she hadn't done in… well, forever. She was applying for a job. Sure, she had already been guaranteed some kind of position by her old friend Yoshi Choukan who was the Police Commissioner, but she hadn't _worked_ in years. The thought of being gone from home for so many hours every day was a little nerve wracking. It would make things harder on Gohan, that was for sure, but this was something she needed. She needed to stretch her legs and breathe once and a while. Being cooped up in the house all day long wasn't helping her at all. She was about to go insane. 

She couldn't help but smile as she came to the doors of the old police station. It had been remodeled after a fire a few years back, but it still looked exactly like she remembered it. Old, red brick covered the outside face of the entrance, large, black lettering highlighted the station number and the district name. It looked old fashioned and not modern, by any means… but the people who worked there were some of the best in the entire city. At least, they were when she worked with them. If she knew Yoshi, the old man probably kept them under a tight regime.

She took a deep breath and walked up the short flight of stairs and into the office. The inside of the station had changed dramatically. All sorts of new computer hardware had been installed, making it possible to get a video feed of every major intersection in the city. The old radio system had been replaced with a high-tech cellular network. Videl guessed it was because the city limits had grown outside of the radio's range in passing years. 

She saw a lot of young officers. All of them were clean-cut and eager, as if they were all new recruits straight out of the academy. She regretted not seeing any of the old gang. They were probably all retired or dead. A lot of them had been killed on the job. Once the Great Saiyaman and the Great Saiyaman Two had quit guarding the city, the police force nearly went into shock. Crime nearly doubled in the city once the news got out that they had quit… and the aging force was so used to the two heroes taking care of the major skirmishes, that a lot of them had fallen out of shape and out of training. All of the newer recruits had been left without field experience. When the crime rate had spiked, the police often found themselves stuck or without back up because of the staffing shortage. A lot of them lost their lives waiting for some kind of back up to show up. 

It was something Videl had always regretted… but she and Gohan quit only because they were so busy with college and were planning a wedding. They both helped out when they could until their second year as a married couple… when Videl got pregnant and Gohan became a full-time scholar. They just couldn't do it any more. They didn't even live anywhere near Satan City. How were they supposed to protect it from over seven hundred miles away?

Apparently, once they got a newer, younger staff and some technological upgrades, they did fine and were able to get the city back into shape, but Videl still thought it was partly her fault for her and Gohan leaving them with little or no notice. She had lost friends during the crime spree… and the city had lost some of its finest officers. 

"Miss?" The receptionist interrupted her thoughts. "Is there anything I can help you with?"

Videl smiled at the young girl. Files were stacked all around her and it looked like she was trying to work on three different things at once. Still, the blonde was polite and friendly, as well as very professional. This station was _definitely_ run by Yoshi Choukan.

"Thank you. I'm here to see Commissioner Yoshi… um, Commissioner Choukan." She corrected herself.

The young woman's eyes widened, as well as her smile. She quickly stood up and walked around the receptionist's desk. Stopping right in front of Videl, she reached out and grabbed her hand, shaking it vigorously. "You must be Miss Satan." 

Videl smiled politely and looked at her questioningly. "How did you…?"

"The Commish told us you would be stopping by. I've heard so many stories about you! I'm honored to meet The Great Saiyaman Two!"

Videl blushed brightly. "I wasn't aware that had been broadcast, but thank you."

The woman laughed, "Oh, it's common information now. They tell the new recruits all sorts of stories about you and your husband. It's so _romantic_ how you two met. I can't believe I'm actually meeting you! You know, you're the reason I went in to law enforcement in the first place."

"Really? I didn't know just helping out the force on the weekends would earn me such a reputation." She said, laughing nervously. Being treated like a role model to women everywhere was certainly new to Videl… as well as her love life being spread like the latest romantic novel. 

"Are you kidding? You didn't know? I have at least three friends who joined the force because of you! You were the first decorated female hero this city saw. You were a strong, female fighter who did a better job than most of the male officers… and you did it all when you were only a teenager! I was too young to remember back then, but my mom said even when I was in diapers I was still trying to emulate you!"

Videl was feeling rather good about herself before that last comment. She sweat dropped as she smiled at the woman. She must have been thirty years old and she was only a few years older than Pan. Videl nodded and thanked her as she made her way to Choukan's office without escort, silently wondering if the girl had intended on making her feel so old.  

As she entered the office, the first thing she noticed was the plethora of awards and pictures scattered across the walls. The older man was in his chair, his back facing the door as he spoke with someone over the phone. She noticed, with a slight blush, that a photo of her and Gohan dressed in their super hero attire was hanging directly above his desk, right next to an award that her father had given the Commissioner years ago.  

 "I'll have to call you back." The Commissioner said, hanging up his phone quickly after seeing who was standing in front of his desk. He stood up, his jaw slightly slack as he scanned her head to toe. "Well, look who finally came crawling back… and it only took 26 years for you to do it too." 

"Nice to see you, _Commish_. How's life in the big office treating you?" 

He laughed robustly, working his way over to her and putting his hands on her shoulders. "I can't believe the same little chicken-necked lass that walked into this station so many years ago has turned into such a… a… an old hag!"

Videl's mouth dropped open, though she smiled despite herself. "I should give you a punch in the gut for that! It's not exactly hard to miss, you know." She teased, patting him on his extended beer-belly. 

"Yeah, well I guess we've all _matured_ a bit over the years." He joked, walking back over to his desk. "That's what peaceful times and lots of doughnuts will do to you."

She smiled widely, suddenly feeling like she was sixteen again. Though the man in front of her had changed from a physically competitive Lieutenant to a lethargic Commissioner, and the force itself had done a complete turn-around, it was still the same feeling of excitement. It was the same feeling she had when her watch-communicator used to ring… as if anything could happen at anytime. 

"Hisho!" He yelled into the intercom, though it was quite obvious the entire department could hear his roaring voice from his office without it. "Tell my good-for-nothing nephew to get his rear in here!"  

The same blonde girl that Videl had been talking to minutes early went scurrying through the lobby and into the hall outside of the main entrance. "Nice girl." Videl commented, watching her literally run and grab a man who had been in the middle of a conversation with someone and drag him towards Choukan's office. "She new?"

"Hisho? Na… she's been with us for years. She couldn't even cut it as a meter maid, but she sure knows how to organize an office… She's not a bad secretary either. You'll probably be working with her. That is, if you still want to push files. I can give you a job in the field, you know. It wouldn't take many strings to pull to get you out there again."

"I think I'll take my chances with Hisho." She said politely, though with slight regret. If she were even ten years younger, she would have jumped at the chance. 

"Now, I've never known Videl Satan to simply back down from an offer to get back into the action again." 

Videl turned her head, noticing the Commissioner hadn't been the one to speak those words. Her smile widened as she saw the familiar face from so far back into her past. He was leaning against the door casually, his arms crossed in front of him like he had been waiting for her to notice him for hours. His short brown hair brushed back as his suit nearly sparkled with ultimate pristine as perfect creases and pinstripes outlined his sharp look.

She crossed her arms, mocking his stance exactly. "Don't tell me _you_ joined the force." 

"What? And let a life time collection of five hundred dollar suits go to waste so I can wear navy blue polyester? I don't think so."  
  


"Videl, you'll have to forgive my nephew. The blood and oxygen supply to his brain has been cut off for years by those expensive silk ties. He really shouldn't be held accountable for his words." Yoshi chimed in.

Videl laughed lightly, her eyes never leaving her old friend's. "I am glad to see you again, Toru." 

 ~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

"Where do these go?" She asked, carrying folders that were stacked well over her head. 

"Oh, they go in the corner, but they need to be reviewed first." The older woman replied.

Pan peeked from behind her files, looking at her husband's secretary with a large amount of fear in her eyes. The woman sighed audibly, "You didn't know what you were getting into when you took a job here did you?"

"I've helped here before. I even helped him reorganize during budget time." 

The red-headed woman laughed softly. "Well, Mr. Briefs _does_ do a lot of work around that time of year. He pulls out every file whether they're dormant or active and audits the accounts."

"Then what do _we_ do?"

"We get to pick up all the scattered random papers from Mr. Briefs floor and sort them into their correct files. After that, we filter out all of the dormant accounts, then file the active ones away in size order. Once we're done with that, we take the dormant ones down to the storage room and file them in chronological order from the date they officially stopped purchasing from CC. After that's all done, we get to go through and shred all of the dormant account files that are more than fifteen years old _unless _they exceed the 50 million dollar mark. Then, we take the ones that _do_ exceed that limit and put them in a _separate_ file room to provide quick access in case the clients wish to come back to Capsule."  

Pan dropped her files out of reflex, her mouth wide open and a huge sweat drop falling down the side of her head. "And you do all of this by yourself?"

"Well, Mr. Briefs helps me when he can… and when you and Ms. Bulma are here, it does make a big difference."

"How long does a project like this take you?"

The secretary chortled. "By the time I get all of the old files destroyed, it's usually just in time to start the final quarter reports. Then, we get to start on all of the end of the year/tax season projects."

"So all of this is left over from budget time?" Pan nearly fell over. "Ms. Keiku, whatever my husband is paying you is not enough."  

The older woman laughed loudly. "I am very well compensated. Your husband is the best boss I've ever had and I've been in the working force for over thirty years."

"Really?" Pan asked, her admiration for her husband suddenly growing, leaving a warm feeling in her heart.  
  


"Definitely. Why do you think I stay here and put up with ridiculously long and complicated projects like these? He's a good man, Mrs. Briefs. You've certainly disappointed a lot of young, single girls by stealing him away like you did." 

Pan could only smile widely at that remark. "Call me Pan."

"Then you can call me just Keiku." She smiled.

"Hey Panny." Her husband called from down the hall as he walked towards her. "You're five minutes late. I'm afraid I'm going to have to report you to your boss." 

"Then I'll report you to your mother." She replied, leaning up to kiss him on the cheek. 

"Ms. Keiku, I'm sorry, I'm going to have to steal my wife away for a few minutes." He said, grabbing her arm and pulling her towards his private office. 

"Trunks!" She protested. "Keiku and I have work to do."

"I know… I just wanted to ask you if you're feeling good enough to work today. The Doctor _did_ say he wanted you off your feet." He said, sitting on his desk and facing her.

Pan rolled her eyes and put her hands on her hips in frustration. "I'm fine. He should be calling me back today anyway. Then you'll see this is all no big deal and we can get back to sparring and… other physical activities."

Trunks smiled and put his hand on her face, lining her lips with his thumb. "Okay, I know it's probably nothing. This is the first time any of us Demi's have gotten sick. The only Saiyan illness we've seen was Goku's heart problem. I just want to make sure there's nothing seriously wrong with you. It's scary."

Pan covered his hand with hers, as it was still lying on her cheek. "If I feel funny at _all._ I promise, I'll go home. But Trunks, try to understand… if I spend another day cooped up in that house I'm going to go crazy."

Trunks laughed at her serious expression. She was still so independent. The thought that she may be a housewife _never_ crossed his mind, but still, her energy and persistence was surprising. That was why he loved her so much. When they had kids, maybe then she would settle down and take a few years off of work until they were older. Until then, while she had sparring to challenge her body, she needed something to challenge her mind. She was her father's daughter, after all. A job at Capsule was the _perfect_ solution… though he'd have to literally drag her out of the building if she ever needed to take a break. 

"Mr. Briefs," the secretary summoned. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but Mrs. Briefs has an important sounding phone call."

Pan perked up and nearly jumped toward the door. "See? I bet that's the doctor right now. I'll take it in the other room, Keiku."

Trunks twisted his head in confusion. Why did she need to take a phone call in the other room? He temporarily wrote it off to feminine privacy, though he doubted she would get any more secrecy in his lobby than she would in his office. Part of him was tempted to pick up the phone and listen in… but he would _never_ get out of the dog house if she caught him. He sighed and returned to his work. Hopefully, she would come bouncing in the door within minutes announcing that it was just a fluke or something.

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

"This is Pan." She said happily, picking up the receiver to hear the voice she had been waiting to hear for three days. "Hi, Doctor. I'm glad you called."

Her heart jumped for joy when he told her that it was nothing to be concerned about. She could almost feel her body tensing up in anticipation for a good spar. "That's great! I was just telling Trunks it couldn't be anything like the heart virus my grandfather had. I don't feel bad, I'm just weak. So what's the prognosis? A cold? The flu? Come on, Doc, I _need_ to do _something_ for my body. I'm getting cabin fever, here."

That was when he said them… two little words that she couldn't have heard coming from his mouth. It wasn't possible… he _must_ have been wrong. 

"Doc, could you repeat that?" She asked, turning the volume up on the receiver. 

Two words…

She had gotten them again. Her face turned white and she dropped the phone. She was finally content in her life and he had to go and say those two words. Two words to change everything… just two words.

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

Yeah… I know this chapter kind of sucked. The funny thing is, I've had this finished for a while… I just didn't have the time to update. ^^; Ah well, it's done and better reading shouldn't be too far away. I hope this won't be _too_ predictable, though I know a lot of you already figured out what's up. I plan to throw a few surprises in here though.

Thanks to Morgause Nokami  () for beta'ing! 


	4. Chapter Three

Wanting – Chapter Three

Disclaimer – See prologue.

Note: Yeah, yeah… That's the last time I give myself a deadline. So… it was a little longer than a week. *Shrugs* Excuse is at the bottom, if anyone cares. It's kind of a downer.

About my little cliff-hanger, by the way, **A LOT** of you guessed what was going on… and yes, I was going for the non-technical count of  "two words". I'm not really making sense right now, so I'll shut up and let you read. (It's 3:15 in the morning! O_o;;) 

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

Two words… 

She sat in awe, her mouth dropped open and her eyes wide due to the sudden surprise that seemed to have crept up on her. Slowly, as she regained her pattern of thought, she reached down and picked the phone up from where it had fallen when she dropped it seconds before. She had to hear him say it again… because he couldn't have said what she seemed to hear him say. He couldn't have said it. It couldn't have been real. It wasn't possible.

"Doctor?" She asked, in what turned out to be more like a constricted squeak from her throat.

The doctor laughed heartily in the phone. "I can certainly see why this is a shock to you, Ms. Pan, but I think you heard what I said the first two times. You're pregnant."

Her eyes still wide with astonishment, she sat back and listened to the rest of what he had to tell her. She had to struggle to comprehend what he was saying. Everything after those two little words seemed to be a blur of information, going in one ear and out the other.

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

Why did it take ten minutes for the doctor to tell her she was fine? He tapped the eraser end of his pencil on his desk in annoyance. He was worried over nothing… he _knew_ it was nothing. No matter how hard he tried to dismiss it though, there was a hard fact staring him straight in the face. Out of the entire family, in all the years since Goku first landed on earth as a baby, the only sickness that had ever plagued any of the Saiyans nearly cost Goku his life. From what Trunks understood, it was nothing short of a miracle that his mother had somehow acquired the cure for that in time to save his life… 

His lavender eyebrows knit together in worry as the thought occurred to him that the heart disease that had nearly knocked out the strongest Saiyan to ever live in his _prime_ might have been genetic too. Of course, it wouldn't have been so easy to cure if it _was_ genetic… but it was a virus and viruses aren't genetic… Then again, viruses often find a way to evolve beyond the realms of medical science and… no… she was _fine_. 

Trunks sighed, ceasing his tapping momentarily so that he could check his watch. It would figure the three fates would once again conspire against him. Things were finally going good for him for the first time in a long time. He was finally able to settle down with someone that he loved. He was enjoying their time alone together more than he had enjoyed any other time in his life. Work was going well again… and having her with him made it seem so much easier to get through the day. 

Pan was his life saver. Everyday he woke up next to her, thankful that he wasn't stupid enough to throw it all a way for some idiotic belief that the age difference would get in the way, or the crazy notion that she was too much like a sister. He was happy that he waited… and he would have waited for twice that long, if he needed to. Married life was good to him. For forty years, he had managed to stay single, dodging the bullets of commitment like it carried the plague, but for a reason he had yet to understand… he couldn't even imagine what it would feel like to be living that life again. 

He looked up eagerly when he heard his door handle click, the wood creaking slightly as she opened the door carefully. She walked in very slowly and shut the door behind her, chewing her bottom lip as her mind reeled with the information she had just been told. She sat down in the chair across from him, looking down at her hands which were fidgeting nervously in her lap. Her confidence lost, a knot in her stomach, she couldn't even begin to think of a way to break it to him.

"Pan?" He asked. She looked up at him and smiled as she saw the horribly worried look on his face. Her smile did very little to make her feel better, but she knew it would calm _his_ nerves a little.

For the hundredth time since she had hung up with the doctor, she wondered how she was going to tell him. They weren't planning on having children for a few years… and they were enjoying their time alone together very much. They _wanted_ that time together. They had been doing everything they could to make sure that they had that time, even to the extent of researching the best birth control that would work the best for them. She always imagined telling him in some romantic surprise, planning a dinner or finding some cute way of hinting at it until he got the message and picked her up and twirled her in his arms as he grinned from ear to ear. She always imagined that they would be _ready_ for such news. Was he ready? Better yet, was _she_ ready?

He was expecting an answer immediately… she didn't have time to plan anything cute or romantic. Plus, this was sort of unexpected and very early for what they had talked about and planned for their upcoming family. The hard truth was, with only being married a couple of months… she could imagine him being not happy about the news, and it scared her. Not only did it scare her that Trunks might think of this baby as an "accident", though they certainly hadn't planned it, but it scared her that she apparently didn't know Trunks well enough to have any guess or clue as to how he would react. 

"I'm fine." She answered him simply, trying to remoisten her mouth which had suddenly gone completely dry.      

"Are you?" He asked again, not really being convinced with her first answer.

"Trunks…" She started, not really having a clue as to where to begin. "You… like being married to me, right?"

Trunks nearly laughed at the question, though his face barely softened. He cocked a curious eyebrow. "What kind of question is that? Of course I do."

"And you're happy with the situation we're in now? Being alone and not having to worry about anyone else or kids or anything?" She asked.

"Pan, please tell me what's wrong." He said emphatically, not giving her any more time to beat around the bush. "I'm worried about you."

"I know." She said quietly. 

Pan took a deep breath and finally met his gaze. Those blue eyes of his were ice and she was nearly knocked back by the intensity of his worried stare. She wished that he would let up… that there was some way to skirt around the issue and hint around to find out how he really felt about the subject. She wished she had more time… that they could laugh it off and go home and she _could_ come up with some cute way of telling him what was wrong. 

She didn't, _they_ didn't… and whether she liked it or not, he was silently demanding a straight answer… and he deserved one as well. As tears lined her eyes, she gathered up what courage she could and took another deep breath.

"I'm pregnant." 

"…" Trunks blinked as if his brain was suddenly overloaded with those two simple words. "What?" He asked, reacting just as she had.

"I'm… pregnant. W-we're having a… a baby." The words barely stumbled out of her mouth as she watched him try to process it all. 

He sat back in his chair as his jaw went slightly slack. A million thoughts ran through his mind at once. He was silent, staring at some indefinable point in space. It was like the words were frozen in his mind, unmoving as he tried his best to understand them. He felt as if he suddenly didn't understand his own language or as if she had just said something in gibberish.

She watched him intently, never taking her eyes off of his expression as she tried to decipher it. She was worried… every second he took to react made her more and more nervous. There was no hugging, no twirling, no cries of joy and no grinning. Actually, there was nothing… and her small worries were suddenly amplified by a rush of emotion. It all came up at once, like a tsunami. To her, it was irrational, like it had come more from hormones than from actual feelings.

She was pregnant… she was… He continued to think about it for a moment. Was she crying because she was happy?  

"I'm sorry, I…" She choked out, water spilling over her cheeks as he face displayed a concerned frown. 

Trunks abruptly stood up from his chair and was at her side before she could even blink away her tears. "Pan!" He practically yelled as he knelt down in front of her, grasping her hands tightly. 

"I-I didn't mean… I don't know what happened, I…" She started, her face red from her emotion.

He took her hands and pulled them up to his lips, kissing them several times. "No, Pan… You have nothing to be sorry for." He looked at her deeply, allowing her time to calm down. 

She felt guilty… his heart broke with the thought that she actually felt _guilty_ about having his baby. She was crying because she thought he didn't want it… because she was scared he would be angry. "Panny, why are you crying?" He asked, wiping his thumb over her moist cheek.

Finally, the information started sinking in and her tears began to dry. He wasn't angry? "But… I thought you would be upset…"

Trunks nearly laughed, though he wisely held it in. "Upset? We're having a baby." He suddenly paled. "Dende, we're having a baby." He repeated, as the information made a connection with his vocal expression of it. 

Pan chuckled a little at the face he was making. "I mean… are you okay with this? You didn't look like you were happy about it a second ago."

"Of course I am! Pan… I know it took me a while to speak up, but you have to believe me, I'm _very_ happy. It's just a surprise... a _big_ surprise."

Pan nodded in agreement. "How do you think I felt about it?" She asked, sniffling. "The doctor said I'm already three months along."

"Three months?!" He nearly yelled in surprised. "How didn't we know? Didn't you… feel anything, or… notice anything or the _lack_ thereof?"

Pan sighed. "Trunks, I've never had regular periods because I train so much… and the birth control stunted what little cycle I _did_ have. I didn't notice any extra hunger and I really haven't felt that nauseous. The only clue I _did_ have…"

"Your weakness?" He asked.

Pan nodded and smiled slightly. "The baby's taking all the extra energy I have in my body. The stronger I was when I got pregnant, the stronger the baby will be when it's born." 

Suddenly, it appeared… the sight she had been waiting to see ever since she found out. He was grinning, smiling as big as he could as his eyes sparkled brightly. It was the kind of smile that made you smile too, no matter how you felt. "Panny…" He started with just a whisper. "We're having a baby?"

Once again, her tears started, but they were tears of joy. His face, the way he was playing with her hands, the smile on his face that stretched ear-to-ear… _this_ was what she was hoping for. "Yeah, we are." She answered, kneeling down to his level hugging him tightly.

He moaned pleasantly and rubbed her back as his large arms wrapped around her waist. "Boy or girl?" He asked, his nose in her hair. "I think it's a girl."

"I'd bet it's a boy. Boys seem to be a little more common in our family."

"Care to put some money on that?"

Pan 'hmphed' and punched him lightly in the gut as she giggled softly. "We're _not_ putting a bet down on the gender of our baby."

He pulled away from her and leaned down, pulling his legs out from under him and laying flat on his stomach on the floor. He put his head to her stomach, his ear pressed against her belly as he gently forced her to lean back to get a better angle. She giggled again as Trunks pushed her shirt up so he could rest his head against her bare belly. 

"Stop moving." He commanded in response to her laughing. It only made her laugh harder. She grew silent as his smile once again spread wide across his face. "I think I can feel it… but the ki is so _small_." He said in barely a whisper. 

"Of course you can." She whispered back as she ran her fingers through his hair. "He's our kid. He's going to be _very_ strong."

"…or _she_…" Trunks corrected, his ear still pressed to her tummy. 

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

"So…" he started, "What brings you back into the action after so many years of… _domestication_?"

Videl put down her coffee cup and looked over at his green eyes. She smirked, knowing exactly where that question was going and choosing not to take it as the half-insult it was intended to be. "I could ask you the same thing, Toru. The highest you ever made it in _any_ kind of military was Eagle Scout." 

He laughed smoothly and smiled at her, showing his pristine teeth as his eyes sparkled. She sighed and shook her head. For all the magazines and entertainment groups that had voted her son-in-law Bachelor of the Year, there was always someone who wasn't very far down on the list… Right now, he was drinking coffee with her in a quaint mom-and-pop diner down by the station. 

"I asked you first, Videl." He dared, sitting back in his chair and maintaining his gaze at her. "The last time I saw you, you were wearing spandex and being driven away in an ambulance after getting shot. All of a sudden, you're married to a book worm and popping out babies. Don't tell me you let a little _bullet_ get in the way of your fun. That's not the Videl I remember."  
  
Videl twisted her lips, once again putting the insult behind her. "First off, Mr. Suit-and-Tie, I didn't get shot, I was _grazed_ by a shell… and that wasn't the reason why I quit."

"Well?" He asked, cocking an eyebrow. "I've been waiting for _years_ to hear this story. Please don't disappoint me."

She leaned forward in her chair and narrowed her eyes. "I'm not telling all until you answer my question. You were only interested in the Explorer Police Training program because you knew your father wanted you to join the force. All of a sudden, you drop out and go to medical school… but you didn't become a doctor did you? And what's this I hear about you getting married?"

Toru chuckled and crossed his arms. "That _marriage_ lasted about as long as my dream of becoming a doctor… one year."

"Why did you give up?" 

"Please, Videl. I never quit at anything. I just… answered to a higher calling." He said confidently.

Videl looked at him questioningly for a moment.      

"It turns out, I don't handle blood very well. I was fine with the text books, the tests and the dummies, but once they started the hands-on experiments, I couldn't take it. I passed out in class three times, before I realized what I _really_ wanted to do. As it turns out, my Uncle's lust for justice sort of rubbed off on me. I went to law school and worked my way up to graduate as fast as I could. I've been a District Attorney now for ten years or so. I get to work with the force, but I don't actually have to be a _part_ of it. My uncle's still proud of me _and_ I get to wear Armani."

She smiled and sipped her coffee. It had been so long since she'd seen him last. They had a close friendship in their childhood. He was always trying to catch up with her… all the way through grade school and into high school. She would never ask him, but she had the feeling the whole reason for him joining the Explorer program was to be around her while she gallivanted around the city. They had always had a little competition going… but it seemed eventually, he wasn't ashamed to admit that she had finally outrun him. They fell out of touch shortly before she got married… Their long-time friendship was another unfortunate casualty of Videl and Gohan quitting their super-hero routine. 

"I got bored." She said suddenly.

"Huh?"

"You asked me why I was back in the action. I got bored." 

"Of what?"

Videl shrugged, cupping her coffee mug in her hands. "My daughter is married, she really doesn't need me any more… and my youngest, my son, is old enough to get himself to school and back. Plus, Gohan's schedule has lightened up a bit since he doesn't have many patients in his new practice, so I really don't have to be home for anything. I'm not… needed as much around the house. Lately, my days have consisted of drinking a lot of tea and listening to my mother-in-law rant on and on about nothing. I just got a little tired of it all…"

Toru smirked, shaking his head lightly. Videl gave him a sideways glare. "What?" She asked accusingly.

"Nothing." He said innocently, grinning wider.

She huffed and crossed her arms. _"What?!"_  

"I just…" He started, treading carefully with what he was trying to say. "I just… wonder what kind of Superman your husband must _really_ be to get _Videl_ _Satan_ out of her super-hero, _life_ ambition and into a apron and a pair of fuzzy slippers." 

"Toru…" She started, "It's not like that at all. My life with Gohan has brought along more adventure in my life time than I care to remember… and it wasn't him who decided that I should stay home. It was _my_ decision. Once I got pregnant, my perspective on life just… changed a little bit. I was planning on going back to work after Panny was born and old enough to go to daycare, it just didn't work out."

"What happened?" He asked.

"I had to raise a child, Toru." She explained. "Not only was she a terribly tempered child, but Gohan's father sort of… left for a decade or so and she didn't adjust very well at all. If I would have gone to work and left her in a daycare, it would have crushed her. By the time she was ready to go to normal school, I really didn't have any interest in going back into crime fighting. I was out of training and out of shape and I felt good staying home and taking care of my family. It wasn't because Gohan wanted me too… we sat down and had a very long discussion about it. I thought it would be a good idea if I stayed home for a few more years."

"Twenty-five is a few?"

Videl sighed. "Well, every time I thought about it, something else happened that made me think I should stay. Gohan's dad died… and I thought his mom would be better off if I stayed home and helped her around her house so she wouldn't get lonely. Before I knew it, twenty years had passed and I had _another_ child to worry about… and the whole thing started all over again." She twisted her lips with the effort it took to omit certain details of why she had stayed home. Sure, Pan would have been crushed if she had been put into daycare, but it was more accurate to say that Pan would have _crushed_ the daycare. Plus, the years of turbulent fighting while Pan was in her early teens didn't help anything either. If it wasn't one adventure, it was another… and they were all adventures she never would have had if it weren't for Gohan.

"So you just… decided to come back. Interesting." He said, shaking his head as if he found her plight amusing. "You know, if you would have married _me_, I would have made sure you never got out of the job. You were good, Videl. You were one of the best, and you weren't even official. I mean… for a sixteen year old girl come in and completely turn the police office upside-down… Videl, they needed you."

Videl blushed at his compliment, but her smile abruptly fell with the last statement that came from his lips. The sadness that dripped from his voice indicated that there was probably more to his story than he was letting her know. "What happened?" She asked in a soft, low voice.

He sighed and brushed his hair out of his eyes in annoyance. "We lost a lot of good men. The crime spree wiped out over half of our division. My dad… he would come every day stressed and panicked, afraid of another riot or looting that the service couldn't handle. They would go whenever a call came… no matter how hard or impossible the situation was. One time… a squad was sent to a raid down by the old abandon warehouses. There was an informant who told them that the West City drug boss had his processing plant down there. There were only five men… only _five_ men to take down a major drug lord and fifty of his closest henchmen, plus probably a hundred workers."

"Why so few?" 

"Because the department couldn't afford any more. All of the other men were so fresh and untouched, thanks to the Great Saiyaman, that they were scared out of their wits to do anything… It was a suicide mission. All five men were gunned down before they even had a chance to lay eyes on the boss. My uncle was so panicked, he actually put out a call for you two. It had been a year since anyone had seen or heard anything from you, but he made the call anyway."

Videl shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "Pan was a newborn and Gohan was working full time by then… I didn't… we didn't want to answer the calls anymore. We didn't want to have to find a babysitter or…"

"I didn't mean to make you feel guilty, Videl. I just wanted to let you know what happened to our city after you left. Please, don't be so quick to leave this time."

She smiled half heartedly. "I won't, but I'm only a secretary… There's not much I can do."

"You're Videl Satan. If I know you, sitting behind a desk all day isn't going to satisfy you."  
  
She sighed, not being able to even imagine what he was saying coming true. She just couldn't picture it… being back, fighting criminals fist-to-gun and running around again. "Toru… what happened to your father?" She asked, a cold realization that her old friend the Captain was missing from the reunion scene earlier that day. 

His lips curved downward, as his eyes avoided her gaze. "He was leading the squad that night. He was first in the door, but the last to die. My uncle said he made him promise to take care of me and my sister over the radio with his last breath. My uncle became like a father to me, after that night… even though I was all grown up. He's the reason I went into prosecuting law… He convinced me that I should do it to honor my father. And what do you know? The job stuck. I didn't have a clue that I would love it so much." 

She smiled a little, swishing what was left of her coffee in her cup. His father had been a good friend of hers as well. He helped her learn most of what she knew about the police department, not to mention helped her stay as active in the force as she did without actually being a police officer. "Toru… I'm so sorry."

"Don't be… Just… promise me you'll think about getting your feet wet again. The department could really use another trained eye… and you know Uncle Yoshi will let you have free reign of the place as long as internal affairs doesn't pay that much attention." 

"I know he would." She answered quietly. "I'll think about it Toru…"

Toru smiled again as his eyes lit up with something unfamiliar to her. She honestly couldn't believe that he didn't blame her even a little bit for his father's death. She had realized a long time ago that she and Gohan were responsible for the biggest crime spree Satan City had ever seen, but this was the first time she had ever been able to put a face to a victim. It had been easy for her and Gohan to live on with their lives, pretending like the announcement of their withdrawal from their super hero alter-egos didn't hurt anyone. It was easy to deny that the riots and looting _weren't_ instigated by the poorly-timed, publicized announcement of their retirement. Truthfully, she felt more like a villain than a hero… and she knew Gohan did too. 

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

A few days later, yet another family lunch had been planned and orchestrated… this time, by Pan. Of course, her grandmother and mother-in-law both protested, saying that putting an entire Saiyan family meal together by yourself was more than she could handle. She used the excuse of wanting it to be the first family get-together in _their_ house, not mentioning the surprise waiting for everyone at the end. When she told Trunks she was disappointed she didn't get to tell him how _she_ wanted to tell him, he practically insisted that they do something clever for the family. After all, with it being Gohan, Videl, Bulma and Vegeta's first grandchild and Goku and Chichi's first _great_-grandchild, they should make a big deal out of it.   

Pan cooked what she could and asked her Grandmother to bring some side dishes. It was really her first time cooking for the whole family as well. She didn't exactly know how much food to make, but as Trunks pointed out, once dinner was done and the surprise was out, nobody would care about the food anyway. She had been running around all day, starting early in the morning with the main courses of beef and chicken. She was sore and tired, but what surprised her the most was that her ankles were a bit swollen. She was only three months along, but apparently water retention came quickly in her family. 

When she finally got the chance to sit down, her body thanked her. Dinner was over now, and they had just finished cleaning up. Trunks leaned over and kissed her cheek, taking her hand in his as the rest of the family made their way back to their seats at the dinner table to socialize and drink their coffee. "You should really be careful about working too hard, Panny." He whispered.

 "Trunks…" She started, in that tone of voice that let him know he was about to get an argument. "I'm pregnant, not broken."

"I know Pan." He said, laughing lightly. "But this kid is making it painfully obvious to us that Saiyan pregnancies are different than human ones. We don't know what's going to happen. Just… be careful." 

She scoffed. "Saiyans were built to fight and survive under incredibly difficult circumstances. I doubt any Saiyan women of the past would ever let pregnancy slow them down."

Trunks opened his mouth to argue, but the family crowd noise quieted and he chose not to risk them being able to overhear their conversation. Pan would surely kill him if anyone found out before she got the chance to spring it on the whole family at once.

"Well, we'd better head off." Goten started, breaking the silence as he looked at his watch. "I've got to get to the dojo early for a competition and Marron's got a meeting at work tomorrow morning."

"No!" Pan yelled, a little too loudly as everyone looked up in surprise at her. "I mean… I baked a cake too. You should stay for dessert."

"Well, we have a long drive…" He continued, standing up from his chair.

"Goten, stick around for a little while." Trunks said, looking over at his younger friend. Goten was a little confused by his tone of voice… Something seemed odd about the way Trunks had practically ordered him to stay.

"O…kay." He said with a little bit of surprise, sitting back down in his seat slowly. 

They all just kind of sat there for a moment in silence, slightly shocked by Pan's outburst and Trunks' suddenly serious demeanor. A few minutes passed by; Nobody said a word or made a sound. Pan's head was down as she breathed in very deep breaths, trying to calm her nerves. Trunks gave her a reassuring smile as he squeezed her hand a little harder. 

"Pan, is everything okay?" Gohan asked, finally being the one to break the eerie silence. 

She took a deep breath. "Actually…"

"Panny…" Trunks interrupted. "Why don't you get dessert?"

She smiled warmly and gratefully at her husband… who had been supporting everything she was doing for that night's dinner. Her father, along with everyone else at the table, watched her stand and walk into the kitchen from the dining room more confused than before. 

She walked back in slowly, carrying in her arms a cake trimmed in blue and pink frosting. On the top, was a little candy bassinette with a single white candle next to it. Pan laid the cake on the table carefully, examining the confused expressions of the people at the table and giving them time for the questions that were sure to come… Nobody said a word. 

Pan played with her fingers awkwardly as the other adults simply stared at her or the cake. She blushed heavily, the warm light from the candle in the dim room doing nothing to hide the red creeping up to the surface of her cheeks. "Umm… I… You see…" She started, stumbling for the words that she needed. 

Trunks stood up next to her, wrapping a strong arm around her waist and smiling coyly. "We couldn't very well wait for a year and a half until her or his birthday actually came around, so we thought we'd kill two birds with one stone and have a house-warming family dinner and a first birthday all-in-one."

_'Mr. CEO strikes again.'_ Pan thought, more than grateful for him taking the reigns for her.

Chichi's eyes grew wide, as Videl's jaw dropped nearly to the table. The men could only _attempt_ to process the information, save Vegeta who was trying to pretend as if he didn't care. 

Suddenly, a loud bang resounded as Bulma slammed her palms into the top of the table, standing abruptly and looking Pan dead in the eye. "Pan! No!" She shouted, smiling wider than Pan had ever seen her smile before. The younger girl barely had time to brace herself before Bulma nearly bowled her over as she ran to hug her. She glanced over at her husband desperately. He mother-in-law, despite her age and her normal human heritage, seemed to be strangling Pan in her grip.  

"Panny? You're… you're… you're…" Gohan tried to complete the sentence.

"Pregnant." She completed. Videl gasped and ran to hug her as well, forcing Bulma to move on to the next in her line of fire.

"Good boy!" She cheered, patting her son on the cheek and dragging him down to her level so she could hug him around the neck. "Way to hit the mark!"

"Mom!" He protested, blushing at what her words implied.

Chichi was still in her seat, tears streaming down her face. "I can't believe my _grand_daughter is going to have a _baby_. I feel so old! It's about time! I can't wait to have another baby around. I was so preoccupied with waiting for Goten to have one… I didn't even _think_ that little _Panny_ would beat him to the punch."

The comment wasn't meant to sting, but it did. It was meant more as a friendly jab, but that's not how he took it at all. Marron looked over at Goten, who _had_ appeared genuinely happy with the news about his niece and best friend. He had literally flinched in reaction to her words, though he didn't say anything. His legitimate smile died quickly and was replaced with a masked one. Marron looked concerned, but he put a reassuring hand on her back. His mother was nearly seventy… and though she had been a little crass her entire life, this slip of the tongue was a serious one.   

"Do you want to go?" Marron whispered, getting the feeling that he didn't want to really hang around anymore.

"Yeah, I think so." He answered honestly. 

The couple made their way up to Trunks and Pan and worked in their congratulations. "We've got to go, I'm sorry to run." Marron told Pan as she gave her a hug.

"Why are you leaving so soon?" Pan asked, looking almost hurt. 

"I think I'll call you with that answer later." 

"Goten…" Trunks started. He knew Goten had been happy for them… but once Chichi had said what she said, his demeanor changed… and Trunks knew exactly why.

"It's not a big deal." Goten answered, knowing what Trunks was going to say. "This is happy news and I'm elated for you, I am. She just… she's just _Mom_. We're just leaving because we both have busy days tomorrow. Don't let me ruin your night just because I need to go to bed."  
  
Trunks smiled lightly, knowing that there were more issues to why Goten and Marron were suddenly leaving than he was admitting. Still, he shook his hand and kissed Marron on the cheek. They walked out the door without saying much more. Pan looked over at Trunks, concerned, but he just smiled back. It was an issue he would have to work out with Goten… but like his "uncle-in-law" had said, he wasn't about to let it ruin the night. She had worked too hard for it. 

"Vegeta! Goku! What are you _doing_?!" The shrieking voice of Bulma interrupted his thoughts. He turned to see his father and Goku both snacking on the cake that Pan had baked and decorated. Vegeta was eating the _chocolate_ cake with white icing on a plate with a fork. Goku, however, was eating the cake on a plate… with his hands. "What possessed you to think that cake was meant for _eating_?!"

Pan laughed and went to save her candy bassinette before it fell victim to their onslaught. "It's okay, Bulma. It's not like I'm going to save it or anything. I just want the bassinette so I can…" Suddenly, there was a loud crunch… as if someone had just bitten down on a piece of hard candy. "GRANDPA!" She yelled, fiercely enough to shake the house.  

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

Trunks and Pan escorted people out as the party concluded. It was late at night by the time their parents left and Pan was dead tired after pulling together the whole act from early that morning. Her parents were the last to leave, taking their time to make sure Pan was okay.

The grandparents-to-be got into their car. Gohan just sat there for a minute and sighed. Videl looked over at him expecting _some_ kind of reaction. Her eyes were smiling, though she didn't dare curve her lips yet.

He chuckled as he looked at her expression. "Wow." Was all that could come out of his lips.

Videl laughed, mostly out of excited and surprise nerves that had built up over the evening. "Gohan, I'm not ready to be a grandmother!" She said emphatically.

"I'm still trying to get used to being a _father._ Where did all the time go?" He asked, shaking his head. "I swear Pan was just a baby herself yesterday… Now she's _having_ one of her own."

Videl chuckled. "It's payback time." She started, "She's going to get a nice taste of what it's like to raise a Saiyan child." 

Gohan smiled at the thought of his daughter having to chase a toddler around the house. Sure, she had helped a great deal raise her brother, but being the _parent_ was a totally different situation. His paternal instinct told him that Trunks and Pan weren't ready to have a baby yet… but he knew that wasn't true. Maybe it was just the fact that the pregnancy happened so fast after they got married, but he was having a _very_ hard time accepting the fact that his little girl was having a baby. 

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

Pan smiled as she watched her parents drive away. Trunks put his arm around her waist, happy that she was smiling. "My parents took the news pretty well, didn't they?" She asked.

"Yeah…" He said, kissing her lightly on the shoulder. 

"Trunks," She started, turning around and hugging him fiercely around the neck. "Thank you _so_ much for helping me with this whole thing. The cake was a great idea."

"Well, you said you were disappointed that you didn't get to surprise me. I think you managed to surprise everyone _else_. Are you satisfied?"

"Very. I loved the looks on everyone's faces." She laughed. "And I _really_ got a kick out of how your dad tried to act like it didn't surprise him."

He smiled, leaning down again and kissing her neck. "Aren't you tired? You've been up since five this morning."

"Only a little… but I think I'll go to bed anyway."

"Are you going to be able to sleep? You seem kind of wired." He asked, amused that she had so much energy after such a long, emotionally draining day. 

She winked coyly and took his hand. "Who said anything about sleep?"

He could only cock an entertained eyebrow as she led him up to their bedroom.  

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

Thanks big time for the reviews!

For those of you who actually _wanted_ the excuse, crazy people! 

I work at a bank and I was robbed by gunpoint on 11/3, so I'm kind of flying by my emotions right now. I'm a little freaked and haven't really felt like working on… well, anything. I'm on a nice little paid vacation at the current time, and I hope that writing will help me escape a little. I told you it was a stupid excuse, but if you were in my shoes, I know you would understand. I put this excuse at the end, since I know it's kind of a downer. 

Anywho, I have "Watching" almost ready to send to my beta and I hope to get to writing more sooner than later. I've been distracted by my "Lord of the Rings" books too, which isn't helping anything!

^_^ Thanks to Morgause Nokami for beta'ing!


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